


Konoha High, or the One Year of Hell

by greenho4



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-05
Updated: 2017-11-24
Packaged: 2018-11-28 04:27:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 73,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11410197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greenho4/pseuds/greenho4
Summary: Due to the new treaty between the Land of Fire and Wind, Temari and her brothers are forcefully sent to Konoha High as exchange students. None of them want to be there, but they'll put up with it, if only for a year. Temari figured she would only have to suffer through a single year. Except how did things get so complicated? And why does she keep thinking about a certain lazy ass?





	1. A Surprise Trip to Konohagakure

**Chapter 1: A Surprise Trip to Konohagakure**

Temari woke up to the sound of something heavy falling and a series of loud curses. She didn't even need to ask to know who it was.

"Kankuro, what did you do this time?" Temari accused her younger brother as she got out of bed. She was received with another string of curses, quickly followed by a shout of pain. Temari wondered for the millionth time how she was even related to him.

"Kankuro, are you okay?" The voice was Baki's and Temari frowned. What was he doing inside the mansion at this hour? Baki was a private tutor her father had hired to teach Temari and her two younger brothers when they were younger. He acted as a mentor, but also as a bodyguard and one of his many duties was sending them safely to school. He usually met them at the front of the mansion, choosing not to intrude in what he termed "the usual morning chaos".

Temari got ready as fast as she could and walked out of her room, taking the stairs a step at a time as opposed to running, which was what she assumed Kankuro had done. At the bottom of the stairs she was greeted with a view of Kankuro hunched over, holding his foot painfully, with one of his many puppets lying on the ground next to him. Baki was handing him a pack of ice while the last brother, Gaara, merely stood to the side, watching disapprovingly.

"Good morning, Temari-san," Baki greeted.

"Morning, Baki-sensei," Temari replied. "Is something wrong?"

Baki shook his head. "Not necessarily. Your father wants to meet with the three of you."

Kankuro looked up from his injured foot. "Right now?"

Baki nodded and Temari exchanged looks with Kankuro. Their father was the current mayor, or Kazekage as he was more commonly known as, of the city of Suna, as well as the CEO of Suna Corporation. He was a busy man and rarely met his children face-to-face.

"What does he want now?" Kankuro complained. "School starts in an hour. Not that I mind being late to class, though."

"Show some more respect for your father," Baki scolded. "He's already in his office."

Kankuro mumbled something under his breath and picked up his puppet, limping his way to the door. Temari quickly followed, with Gaara trailing close behind and Baki bringing up the rear as usual.

The Kazekage was busy writing papers when the three siblings opened the door to his office, but he paused his work and looked up as they walked in.

"Father." The three siblings greeted respectfully, bowing their heads slightly.

Rasa wasted no time. "The Land of Wind recently signed a new peace treaty with the Land of Fire. As per agreement, the two countries are conducting exchange programs between high schools in Sunagakure and Konohagakure. The daimyo has chosen you three as Suna High's exchange students for this year."

"For-for the whole  _year_?" Kankuro spluttered. "In Konohagakure, of all places?"

Rasa silenced his son with a stern look. "You have no say in this. It is a direct order from the daimyo."

"Won't it be weird to have exchange students coming in a month after school started?" Temari asked.

"Konohagakure's schools start a month later than us," Rasa explained, a tone of contempt creeping into his voice. "They start in late August."

"Lucky." Kankuro said. "Why do we have to start school in July? Does that even make sense to you?"

Rasa gave him a dangerous look and Kankuro decided it was best not to say anything else.

"When do we leave?" Temari asked.

"Your flight is in two hours. Baki will accompany you to Konohagakure. He has your passports ready. I expect all three of you to behave while in Konohagakure. It'll only be for this year, so try not to do anything rash." At this, the Kazekage gave his youngest son an accusing look. Gaara said nothing, staring impassively at the wall.

"Wait, but where will we live?" Kankuro asked, forgetting his previous commitment to silence. "And don't tell me I'm still stuck with Temari?"

"Stuck with  _me_?" Temari said angrily. "I'm the one who's stuck with you!" When the three siblings were young, Rasa used to have Baki teach them. As soon as the two boys were of school-age, he had sent them to school instead. However, in Suna, wealthy girls usually stayed and learned at home. Temari had pleaded with her father to also send her to school, and Rasa had eventually agreed, on the one condition that she would be in the same year as Kankuro. It was a sore topic for Temari, being stuck with kids younger than her, and by the glares Temari was sending his way, Kankuro knew he shouldn't have brought it up. He was going to earn a smack on the head for this. Or a punch to the face. Or gut. He never knew how she would react.

"That's enough!" Rasa commanded before things could escalate and the two siblings stopped arguing. "Go back home and pack your things. Baki will pick you guys up in an hour."

 

An hour later the three siblings were seated on the plane, with Gaara sitting next to Baki, and Kankuro and Temari behind them.

"I hope Gaara didn't bring the gun," Kankuro whispered to Temari.

"It'll be fine," said Baki, having overheard him. "Your father has already spoken with the principal of Konoha High School. Since the three of you  _are_  the Kazekage's children, she understands that you'll need protection. One of me isn't enough to protect you at all times."

"Then why didn't Father just send more guards? Why only you?" Kankuro demanded.

"That would defeat the point of being an exchange student." Baki said. "You're there to learn, not to be restricted to the house all day by security."

"Which you seem to have no trouble doing anyways," Kankuro said.

Baki sighed. "Your father knows the three of you are perfectly capable of taking care of yourselves. However, Gaara, being the heir to Suna Corporation, is more likely to be kidnapped or harmed than the two of you. Remember what happened just last month?"

"Yeah, and Gaara almost killed him!" Kankuro exclaimed. "He's dangerous with a gun!"

Gaara turned around to face his older brother, a cold look on his face. Kankuro swallowed nervously. He had forgotten Gaara was there.

"I don't see you capable of protecting me instead," Gaara said. "Nor do I see you capable of handling a gun without shooting yourself. Why don't you stick with your dolls instead of worrying about matters that don't concern you?"

"Don't get mad, Gaara," Temari cut in hastily. "Kankuro does make a good point. I don't think Konohagakure citizens normally carry around guns, or at least not the children."

Gaara stared at them for a moment, and then said nothing, putting on his earbuds and turning back to the front.

"Don't provoke him, Kankuro." Baki said quietly. "Gaara can take care of himself. He knows when to use the gun, and when not to."

Kankuro nodded glumly. "Yeah, yeah, sure. How long's this flight, anyways?"

"It's three hours." Baki said. "Konohagakure isn't exactly right next door."

Kankuro mumbled to himself and proceeded to occupy himself by playing with one of his harmless puppets, which had barely managed to pass security.

Temari sighed and looked out the window. The clouds seemed to stretch forever. It was going to be a long year.


	2. Welcome to the Land of No Manners

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So some things to note:
> 
> 1\. Their society is modeled on Japanese society, so honorifics are used, and family names come before first names (i.e., Uzumaki Naruto, instead of Naruto Uzumaki).
> 
> 2\. For convenience, the sand siblings' family names are Sabaku no.
> 
> 3\. Sunagakure and Konohagakure are the capital cities of the Land of Wind and Fire, respectively.
> 
> 4\. Sunagakure is more old-fashioned and traditional than Konohagakure but the story still takes place in what we call "modern times".
> 
> All characters belong to Kishimoto-san.

  **Chapter 2: Welcome to the Land of No Manners**

"So tell me again why we have to be here?" Kankuro complained for the fifth time as the four Sunagakure citizens got off the plane.

"Because it's an order," Gaara said calmly. However, his tone betrayed the warnings he was giving his older brother.

Kankuro scowled. "This sucks." He looked outside and caught side of the scenery, and his expression changed instantly.

"Are those  _trees_?" Kankuro exclaimed.

Temari rolled her eyes. "It's not like you've never seen trees before."

"Yeah, but I mean look at the ones here! We've been to a bunch of cities back in Wind, but I don't think I've seen so many trees before! Look at all that green stuff! And what happened to the sun?"

As much as Temari didn't want to admit it, Kankuro was right. The scenery outside the airport was mostly grass and trees, but way more than she had ever seen back in Sunagakure. Furthermore, the sun was currently hidden by clouds and Temari imagined what it would be like to live here for a year, without having to worry about the sun burning her skin and blinding her eyes.

"Take your passports," Baki said, halting their sightseeing. "There's a security checkpoint for foreign travelers. Just answer honestly and try not to cause any problems."

The four of them got in line and soon it was Temari's turn. She handed her passport to the man at the desk.

 _Gaara would fit in well_ , Temari thought, noting the man's bored and impassive expression.

"Name?"

"Sabaku no Temari," Temari replied promptly.

"And what is your business here?"

"Exchange student from Sunagakure."

"How long will you be staying in the Fire country?"

 _Too long,_  Temari almost said, but held herself back at the last moment. "About a year."

"Do you have your papers with you?"

Temari stared at him.  _What papers?_

The man sighed impatiently. "Your student papers. You know, to verify that you're actually here as an exchange student. Sunagakure citizens staying here, especially in Konohagakure, for a whole year is suspicious if you don't have evidence to back up your claims."

Temari bit back the urge to yell at him that she didn't even want to be here in the first place. If this were Sunagakure, the man would have been treating her like royalty. Instead, he was accusing her of being a criminal.  _Calm down_ , she told herself.  _Baki-sensei surely wouldn't make a mistake like this_.

She rummaged through her pack to check if the papers were there, and sure enough, they were buried at the very bottom.  _Leave it to Baki-sensei to put it here without telling me. I must've been asleep on the plane when he handed them out._

She took out the papers and handed it to the man, trying not to look nervous. The man took his time, his gaze switching from her passport to her papers to her face for a long time, before finally handing it back.

"Have a nice stay, Temari-san."

 

"Took you long enough," Kankuro smirked as Temari made her way over. "Did you get detained or something?"

Temari raised her fist threateningly but did not hit him. "I'm surprised that wasn't you considering how suspicious your face paint and puppet make you look."

"Hey, there's nothing dangerous about paint!" Kankuro protested. "And this puppet is perfectly harmless!"

"Right, which was why security back home had to question you for about half an hour." Temari remarked. "We nearly missed the flight thanks to you! You should've just listened to Baki-sensei and put them all in your suitcase."

"Let's find our luggage now," Baki interrupted tiredly. He was getting a headache already. Having to deal with the Sand siblings was something he did not particularly enjoy at times.

"Yes, Baki-sensei," Temari said.

Kankuro simply shrugged. "Yeah, sure."

They were about to walk over to the baggage carousel when Gaara came over with all their suitcases neatly loaded on a cart.

"I have your suitcases," the youngest announced.

"Yeah, we can tell," Kankuro said.

Baki quickly ushered them outside and into the waiting limousine before the siblings could start another argument.

Once seated, Baki handed out more papers.

"Here's a map of Konohagakure, as well as a brochure. Please try to follow the laws here, especially you, Gaara." Baki gave his youngest student a pointed look.

The redhead said nothing, merely accepting the papers in silence.

"And here's a guidebook to Konoha High. I've drawn out the paths from Konoha High School to our hotel on the map. As usual, I will be taking the three of you to school in the mornings. After school, you may do whatever you like, but be sure to be back by ten p.m. Call me if anything happens, and please try to stay out of trouble. You only have to be here for a year, and remember, you are here to represent not only your father, but also Sunagakure and the Land of Wind. So try to be polite to people, Kankuro, and Temari, don't hit people."

"Yes, Baki-sensei," Temari and Kankuro muttered.

 

The limousine arrived at their hotel, the Leaf, and Baki checked them in.

"We're on the top floor," Baki explained. "The entire top floor is reserved for all the Wind country exchange students."

"But no one else from Sunagakure," Kankuro said. "Because  _we_  got sent."

Baki ignored him and continued explaining. "The Leaf is owned by the Sarutobi family, which is also the family the leader of Konohagakure, the Hokage, belongs to. He will be meeting with us for dinner tonight so dress appropriately. I expect  _no puppets_  at the dinner table, Kankuro."

"Yeah, I got it, Baki-sensei," Kankuro said, rolling his eyes. "I won't bring my puppets, and I won't make crude jokes, and I'll be sure to wear a suit and be super polite to everyone."

Baki nodded approvingly. "Here are your rooms. Temari on the left, Kankuro the middle room, and Gaara is the room on the right. My room is this one, directly across from Kankuro's. Feel free to wander around for a bit, but keep in mind that dinner is in three hours."

The three siblings nodded and went into their rooms.

 

Temari had just finished unpacking when there was a knock on her door. She opened it to discover Kankuro.

"What now?"

"You wanna head out to the game room with me?" Kankuro pleaded. "Just for a bit. I just wanna see what it's like, and then you can do whatever it is you do."

Temari sighed. "I might as well."

She followed her younger brother out and into the elevator.

"Okay, so according to the map I saw earlier, the game room should be either the fifth or sixth floor. What do you think, Temari?"

Temari shrugged. "Go with whatever you want."

Kankuro shrugged and chose the sixth floor. As the elevator door slid open and Kankuro took a step out, someone suddenly ran into him.

"Ow!" Kankuro glared at the offender, a young boy dressed in a cape, with goggles on his head, making him look more childish than he already did.

"You little shit!" Kankuro forcefully pulled the boy up by his shirt collar, making eye contact with him. "That hurt, you know."

The boy stared up at him in terror. "It was an accident."

"Maybe I should teach you a lesson." Kankuro snarled. "You don't seem to be aware of who I am."

"Yeah, well you don't seem to know who _I_  am!" the boy replied defiantly.

"Well, you're lacking in manners, aren't you? Is this how they treat elders in Konohagakure?" Kankuro asked, raising his fist.

"Konohamaru!"

The two Sunagakure siblings looked away from the boy to see two more young children running towards them, with two older ones following close behind.

One of the older children stepped forward, bowing her head. She had pink hair and looked about the same age as Gaara.

"We're so sorry," the girl apologized. "It was an accident."

"Yeah," the older boy said, nodding his head. "Accidents happen all the time. They're little kids, you know? You don't have to be so rude about it."

Kankuro growled. "I happen to dislike disrespectful little kids like you and him."

"Hey, I'm not a little kid!" the boy protested. "You wanna fight, huh?"

Kankuro smirked. "After I deal with this little kid, then I'll deal with you."

He was about to hit the small boy when a wooden staff stopped him.

"What are Sunagakure citizens doing on this floor?" The voice belonged to yet another boy about Gaara's age.

"And who're you?" Kankuro retorted.

The boy made no comment, keeping his wooden staff aimed at Kankuro's throat.

"Kankuro."

The two sand siblings jumped in fright as Gaara appeared, his signature frown on his face.

"Let the boy go, Kankuro," Gaara ordered. "Remember why we're here. Do you want Baki to report your actions to Father?"

"Ah, well, no, not really, Gaara," Kankuro said, setting the boy down immediately. "See, I let him go already. It was just a misunderstanding."

Gaara turned to face the boy with the wooden staff. "I apologize for my brother's behavior. He got lost on his way to the game room, and instead ended up on the Sarutobi family's floor."

The raven-haired boy nodded and withdrew his staff. "What's your name?"

"Sabaku no Gaara, and you are…?"

"Uchiha Sasuke."

Gaara nodded as if confirming something. "Temari, Kankuro. Let's go."


	3. Meeting With the Kages

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All characters belong to Kishimoto-san.

  **Chapter 3: Meeting with the Kages**

"What do you think you were doing?" Gaara confronted his older brother as soon as they were back in the elevator.

Kankuro scowled. "The kid ran into me! And he was so rude about it, too!"

"That doesn't give you an excuse to kill him."

"I wasn't going to kill him," protested Kankuro. "I was just going to—"

"To what?" Gaara challenged. "To teach him a lesson? Do you know who he is? That boy is Sarutobi Konohamaru, the current Hokage's grandson."

Kankuro scoffed. "How was I supposed to know that? And anyways, who names their kid after their city? Konohamaru? Really? I'm glad I wasn't named Sunamaru."

Gaara gave him a cold look. "That is not the point. Just behave yourself, Kankuro. I won't let this slide a second time."

"Okay, okay, Gaara," Kankuro acquiesced. "I won't do it again."

Temari shook her head. "You should have just stayed in your room."

"Oh, shut up." Kankuro said. "Anyways, what were you doing on that floor, Gaara?"

"I was searching for you," said Gaara. "Baki has summoned us."

"How'd you even know we were there?" Kankuro asked. "If it's the Sarutobi family floor like you said, then how'd you know to look there?"

"It wasn't hard to figure out you went to the wrong floor while coming to the game room," Gaara stated. "It wouldn't be the first time something like this has happened."

Temari smirked at her younger brother. "Gaara's right, you know."

Kankuro grumbled under his breath but made no further comment as he did not want to test Gaara's patience.

Baki was waiting for them when they exited the elevator.

"Ah, Gaara-san, it seems you found them."

Gaara nodded and Baki ushered them into his room, where two more Sunagakure guards were situated.

"When'd they get here?" Kankuro asked, collapsing himself onto the bed. Gaara and Temari remained standing.

"They got here two hours before us," Baki said. "Your father sent them ahead of time. More will be coming in the next few hours. There will be one in front of each of your rooms at all times."

"Great, more security," Kankuro said. "Why'd Father make us learn how to fight if he'll just stick bodyguards on us?"

"It's for your protection, Kankuro-san."

"I notice how you're respectful when you need to, but when you lecture me, you just call me plain Kankuro."

Baki pretended not to hear him. He gestured to one of the bodyguards, who opened the laptop on the table. "Your father wishes to speak with you."

"Again?" Kankuro whined. "He literally just saw us this morning!"

"Kankuro!" Baki warned as the screen came to life and the vague image of the Kazekage in his uniform could be seen.

"Kazekage-sama," everyone in the room greeted.

The Kazekage nodded. His face was obscured and Temari could make out the rough outlines of a chair behind him. Apparently, the camera quality wasn't very good. Or the connection wasn't good. Temari wasn't too sure.

"I have a mission for the three of you."

"A mission?" Temari asked.

"Yes. The Hokage has required your assistance in protecting someone in Konohagakure."

"Why us?" Kankuro asked. "I mean, why not the guards back home?"

"This job is more suited for the three of you. The person you are to protect will be going to Konoha High School this year."

Temari nodded. It made sense the Hokage would ask for the three of them. Being the Kazekage's children meant they were next in line to be chosen as Kazekage. Unlike in Konohagakure where the Hokage was elected and chosen, in Sunagakure, the Kazekage was chosen based on blood. Like all Kages around the world, the job of the Kazekage was not only to lead the capital city but also to act as a bodyguard for the daimyo when the time came. Therefore, Temari and her brothers had started learning self-defense and combat skills from an early age, which made them the perfect candidates for protecting someone.

"Who is he?" Gaara asked.

"His name is Uzumaki Naruto," the Kazekage explained. "He is the heir to Konoha, Inc, one of the most powerful and wealthiest companies in Konohagakure. However, this is a fact that he is unaware of but his enemies know of. The three of you are to protect him when possible."

Kankuro narrowed his eyes. "Why does he need protecting now?"

"There is an international gang called the Akatsuki who seek to kidnap, and possibly kill him. They were quiet for a few years, but now they are in the Fire country. They know he exists but not where to find him. If they saw him with adult bodyguards, he would be targeted more easily. Your jobs are to protect him, but to never tell him about his heritage, understood?"

"Won't it be easier if he knows why he's being targeted?" Temari said.

"The Hokage has asked that you not tell him. I will respect his wish, and you will do the same."

"Yes, Father," the three children said and the screen went dark.

 

The table was crowded when the sand siblings walked in. On one end were the children from various Wind country high schools and their guardians, while the other end of the table was filled with Konohagakure's Sarutobi family.

Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara made their way to the far end of the Sunagakure end of the table. All three children were dressed nicely, Temari in a light purple dress, and Kankuro and Gaara in black suits. Temari still questioned how Kankuro even owned a suit.

"Did you steal that from Baki-sensei?" Temari asked.

"No," Kankuro replied indignantly. "Who do you think I am?"

"Kankuro, that's who," Temari said. "Normally your suits are wrinkly and dirty."

"Hey, I had it washed and ironed a few days back, okay?"

"Enough arguing," Gaara interrupted, nodding his head in the direction of the Sarutobi family. An elderly man was entering the room and all the Sarutobi family members stood up respectfully.

"Must be the Hokage, huh," Kankuro commented as he stood up with the other Wind country citizens.

The Hokage nodded his head, gesturing everyone to sit back down.

"I spy that kid, Konohamaru," Kankuro whispered as the Hokage gave a welcoming speech. "He's sitting next to his gramps."

"Yeah, I see him," Temari whispered back. "Now shut up before we get in trouble."

"Welcome, citizens from Sunagakure and other Wind country cities, to Konohagakure." The Hokage said. "As you may have figured, I am the current Hokage of Konohagakure, Sarutobi Hiruzen. The relations between our two countries have been peaceful for years, and continue to be so, which is evident in our recently renewed treaty. However, there is no stronger proof than in our new high school exchange program, in which even the Kazekage's children, as well as my grandson in future years, are participating in. I hope you enjoy yourselves tonight and for the rest of your stay in Konohagakure."

There was a round of respectful applause and the Hokage sat down, signaling the start of the banquet.

"Geez, that kid will be in Sunagakure in the future?" Kankuro said, stuffing his face with food. "I don't want to have to deal with him."

"He's still young," Temari assured him. "He won't be coming until many years from now. Who knows where we'll be by then."

Kankuro shrugged. "Just as long as I'm not forced to escort him or something."

 

The dinner was over and people were slowly starting leave. Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara also got up. However, before they could leave, Baki led them towards the Hokage, who was standing with Konohamaru and a man with a cigarette in his mouth.

"Ah, you three must be the Kazekage's children."

The three sand siblings bowed respectfully. "Yes, Hokage-sama."

The Hokage smiled kindly. "This is my son, Asuma, and my grandson, Konohamaru."

Asuma nodded his head in greeting.

"I heard Konohamaru was causing trouble earlier," the Hokage said.

"No, it was our fault," Gaara reassured him, but the Hokage shook his head. He nudged Konohamaru forward.

"I apologize for earlier," the boy muttered, looking down at the floor. "I should have watched where I was going."

"Yeah, that's right—" Kankuro started but was cut off by Gaara.

"Your apology is accepted, Konohamaru-san." Gaara said. "In turn, I also apologize for my brother's misconduct."

Taking his cue, Kankuro hastily made an apology. "Yeah, sorry, I kind of overreacted back there."

"So you kids are coming to Konoha High?" Asuma asked. "What grades?"

"Kankuro and I are juniors," Temari answered. "And Gaara is a freshman."

Asuma smiled. "I'm a teacher there, so I hope to see you around campus. If there's anything you need, feel free to ask me."

"Thank you for the offer," Gaara replied.

"Well, it's late. Konohamaru should be in bed right now," the Hokage said, bidding his farewell. The Sunagakure citizens did the same, heading for the top floor.

"School normally starts at eight but just for tomorrow, you three need to be there by seven. The principal will hand out your schedules and explain some things," Baki said. "I will drive you there at around six-thirty so please be ready, and Gaara, hide your gun well if you are going to take it."

Gaara nodded, acknowledging that he had heard what Baki said, before going into his room.

Baki sighed. Gaara was hard to control sometimes. "Goodnight, Temari-san, Kankuro-san."

 

The next morning, the three siblings got into the new car that Baki had bought and headed for school.

Kankuro was busy dozing in the back while Gaara looked like he hadn't slept at all, which, Temari knew from experience, he hadn't. Temari herself was seated next to Baki in the front, gazing out the window. There were no clouds today and the sun felt familiar on her skin.

"Kankuro, wake up," Baki said as he parked the car.

"Huh, what, is it morning already?" Kankuro sat up with a start. "I didn't do it, I swear!"

Baki sighed. "We're here, Kankuro. I'll take you to the office. Make sure you guys have everything. Gaara, hide your gun and try to make some friends for once. Kankuro, did you bring your keys? Temari, don't frown like that; it's only the first day."

Temari thought that was a perfectly good reason to be unhappy but did not say so. She got out of the car and took a view of the school.

Konoha High was similar to Suna High in many ways. They were both relatively large high schools, with numerous buildings and a flag located at the front. However, while Suna High had been boring and devoid of decorations, Konoha High was teeming with vegetation and bright posters.

When the Sunagakure children got to the office, there were already other Wind country students there. They were lined up to take pictures for their student ID cards. Temari and her brothers were about to do the same when the principal, noticing them, walked over.

"Hello and welcome to Konohagakure," the principal said. "I'm the principal of Konoha High, Tsunade. You three must be the Kazekage's children, correct?"

The three of them nodded and Tsunade explained some things briefly while handing each of them a slip of paper.

"These are your schedules for the school year. You'll notice the last class is blank. Here at Konoha High, each student is required to join a club that will act as an elective class. You have the first three days to choose one, and once you choose one, it will automatically be added into your schedule in the school system."

Tsunade led them to the front of the ID line.

"You'll be taking the picture for your student ID card right now, and then I will give you a guide to lead you around campus for the first day."

Kankuro smirked and whispered to Temari, "I guess being the Kazekage's kids gives us some advantages, right?"

"Well, what do you expect? That's how people normally act around us."

Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara received their cards and Tsunade led them outside before calling someone over. A boy about Gaara's age came out, his expression bored and disinterested.

"Hey." The boy said half-heartedly. "I'll be your guide for today. My name's Nara Shikamaru."


	4. One Nara Shikamaru

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All characters belong to Kishimoto-san.

  **Chapter 4: One Nara Shikamaru**

Shikamaru was walking with Chouji and Naruto when Naruto suddenly turned to him.

"Oh, yeah, Shikamaru," Naruto said. "I suddenly remembered, but please don't kill me tomorrow!"

He laughed nervously and ran off. "Today was fun! See you at school tomorrow!"

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes at him but did not stop the other boy.

"What was that about?" Chouji asked as he reached for another chip.

Shikamaru shrugged. "Beats me."

"Anyways, I heard there are exchange students coming over this year," Chouji said. "From the Land of Wind?"

"Yeah." Shikamaru said. He looked up at the sky, watching the clouds drift lazily. "School already starts tomorrow. How troublesome. I wanted to sleep in."

Chouji laughed. "Well, summer was bound to end. Oh yeah, your mom said she's not taking me and Ino to school tomorrow."

Shikamaru stopped walking. "She did?"

"She said something about you having to be at school early or something. I dunno. I guess you'll have to ask her." Chouji nodded his head towards Shikamaru's house, which was right next to Chouji's.

Shikamaru sighed. He had a very bad feeling about this. "Alright. See you tomorrow, Chouji."

 

"I'm home!" Shikamaru called out as he opened the door. He took off his shoes and made sure he didn't leave mud anywhere. His mother would kill him if she found mud around the house.

"Oh, Shikamaru!" Yoshino replied, peeking her head from the kitchen. "Dinner will be ready in half an hour. I expect you cleaned up by then."

Shikamaru sighed, knowing it was pointless to argue. He took a quick shower and went back to the kitchen, where he immediately set up the silverware.

"Is Dad home yet?"

"Your dad is a bit busy these days," Yoshino replied. "The police want to work with the detective agency. There's been a problem with a gang recently."

"Don't tell me it's that one gang Sasuke's brother joined."

"I'm afraid so, son."

Shikamaru turned to see his father standing by the entrance.

"You're home already?" Yoshino asked, placing the dishes onto the table.

Shikaku nodded. "The police have a busy day tomorrow so they wanted to stop work earlier today. The Wind country students are here already, and they'll be going to Konoha High tomorrow. The police are on high alert since the Kazekage's kids are among those students."

"Speaking of which," Yoshino said as the three of them sat down and began their dinner, "Tsunade-sama wants to see you early tomorrow, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru frowned. "What for? School hasn't even started."

"She assigned you as a tour guide for some of the exchange students."

Shikamaru choked on his food. "She did  _what?_ "

"Actually, your friend Naruto volunteered you for the job," Yoshino clarified. "He was telling me about it and how he thought you would be the perfect candidate, and so I went up to the office last week and signed you up."

"Naruto did  _what_  now?" Shikamaru asked, not believing his ears. "And you just went and signed me up? Without  _asking_  me first?"

Yoshino gave her son a disapproving look. "Don't raise your voice at me. You have nothing better to do with your time, anyways. I think it'll be good for you. You really need to work on your social skills."

"My social skills." Shikamaru repeated. "My  _social skills_. I am perfectly capable of talking to people."

Shikaku laughed. "That may be true, but you don't talk much at all, do you?"

"Dad!" Shikamaru protested, but his father did not change his stance.

"I agree with your mom. You really need to learn to talk more."

Shikamaru groaned. "And I suppose there's no way out of this?"

Yoshino nodded sternly. "That's right, young man. I will be taking you to school at seven so you better be up and ready at that time."

"Don't worry about it too much," Shikaku reassured his son. "You just have to show them around campus."

"But I'm only a freshman," Shikamaru protested. "It's my first year there. How do you expect me to show them around?"

"Don't try that nonsense with me," Yoshino scolded. "You can't get away from this. I know you've been taking classes at Konoha High for the past two years. If not, then where did you go for all your advanced math classes?"

Shikamaru grumbled under his breath. His mother made a good point. Although he was only going to be a freshman this year, Shikamaru was no stranger to the Konoha High School campus. When he was younger, Shikamaru hadn't put any effort into school. As a result, his mother had thought that he was falling behind, and not because he was too lazy to do the work, and so had asked Shikaku's friend, Asuma, to privately tutor him. Asuma had then discovered Shikamaru's high IQ, and convinced his parents as well as the school to place him in advanced classes. Shikamaru had been highly against that, and eventually compromised with his parents to only take higher-level math courses at the high school. Ever since then, Shikamaru had been frequently visiting Konoha High, especially when he found an interest in shogi and the shogi club that Asuma was an advisor for. Shikamaru was at the high school so often that the shogi club students at Konoha High considered him an honorary member.

"Fine, I get it," Shikamaru said. "I'll go and do it. Not that I have a choice."

Shikaku smiled. "It'll only be for tomorrow. How bad can it be?"

Little did Shikamaru know just how bad it was going to be.

 

The next morning Shikamaru was up and ready to leave by the time Shikaku came outside to start the car.

"I'll take you to school today," Shikaku said. "The boys and I have some work to finish so I have to be there early."

Shikamaru shrugged indifferently. "Why, though? Aren't you guys in charge? Can't you decide when to start work, and when not to?"

"That's not how a business should be run, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru shrugged again. He looked outside. There were no clouds in the sky. This was surely a sign that today was going to be troublesome.

"Alright, we're here." Shikaku parked the car and watched as his son got off. "Have a nice day, Shikamaru!"

"Yeah, sure," Shikamaru replied, waving. "Bye, Dad."

Shikamaru sighed and made his way to the office, where a small line had started to form. Judging from their attire, they were all Wind country students. There were more students than Shikamaru had thought there would be and he wondered what type of people he would have to deal with today. He shook his head to clear his mind of such thoughts. It was pointless to wonder now; he would be seeing them soon.

"Ah, Shikamaru," Tsunade greeted as Shikamaru entered her office. "Glad to see you're on time."

Shikamaru shrugged. "Just tell me what I'm supposed to do, Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade nodded and handed him a piece of paper.

"This is your schedule for the year. As you know, the last class is your mandatory elective-club, which I'm assuming is the shogi club?"

Shikamaru nodded.

"Well, you'll be working with Sakura today."

Shikamaru looked around the room and it was only then he spotted the mass of familiar pink hair. Sakura was someone he knew, though not too well. Like Shikamaru, Sakura also took advanced classes at the high school, though for her it was in the medical field and not the mathematics field.

"Good morning, Shikamaru," Sakura said.

"Morning."

"Now, I want you two to be aware of who your guests are," Tsunade continued. "They are the Sabaku children. In other words, they are the Kazekage's children."

"The Kazekage's children?" Sakura said, her eyes widening. "No disrespect intended, Tsunade-sama, but why are you putting us in charge of such important people?"

"I'll admit there might be better qualified people than you two," Tsunade said. "However, the two of you are in the same grade as the Kazekage's most potential heir, and the two of you have the most classes with them. Furthermore, I know you are perfectly capable of doing this, Sakura, and as for Shikamaru, his family's status isn't that far down. Besides, do you two think I could have asked Naruto to do this instead?"

Sakura shook her head and Shikamaru smirked. He could just imagine Naruto getting the Sabaku children lost within the first minute.

"However, you are right, Sakura. They are very important guests, and I expect both of you to keep them company the entire day and to not be disrespectful. Try to make them as comfortable as they can. It  _is_  their first time in Konohagakure, after all."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama," the two freshmen chorused.

Tsunade stood up. "I see they've arrived. Why don't you two take a map each and wait in the other room while I get them registered first?"

Shikamaru and Sakura watched as she made her way to three children: two boys and a girl. The older boy, who Shikamaru assumed was the oldest of the three, had on some weird face paint, as well as some strange shape wrapped in bandages by his side. He stood a good deal taller than the other two. The girl was next in height, the middle child, Shikamaru guessed; with blond hair tied in four pigtails. She seemed the most normal of the three. Lastly was the younger boy, who had red hair and what looked like a tattoo of some sort on his forehead, and a terrifying expression. Shikamaru swallowed nervously. He wasn't excited to be leading these three Sunagakure citizens at all.

"Shikamaru? Will you please come out now?"

It was Tsunade's voice, and Shikamaru forced himself to walk outside and face the three foreigners, with Sakura following behind him.

"Hey," Shikamaru said, hoping he didn't sound as anxious as he felt. "I'll be your guide for today. My name's Nara Shikamaru."

"And I'm your other guide, Haruno Sakura."

The boy with the red hair nodded and stepped forward. "I am Gaara, and this is my brother, Kankuro, and my sister, Temari."

The two mentioned siblings acknowledged them with a nod.

Sakura smiled warmly at them and Shikamaru hoped they weren't expecting him to smile at them, too. "Welcome to Konoha High! If you have any questions at any time, feel free to ask us. Now, why don't we take you guys on a tour, and show you where your classrooms are?"

The three siblings handed Sakura their schedules. Shikamaru noticed how they did it automatically, and in an organized way, with Gaara first, then Kankuro, and lastly Temari.

Sakura showed Shikamaru the papers and he compared them with his and Sakura's schedules, quickly memorizing it in his head, before handing them back to their owners.

"Let's head over to the history building first since it's closest," Shikamaru suggested. The others voiced their agreement and Shikamaru led the way, contemplating his life and how he had gotten stuck doing this job.

"History is usually taught by either Kurenai-sensei or Mizuki-sensei," Shikamaru explained, grateful that Asuma had talked endlessly about Konoha High before. "Kurenai-sensei teaches the freshman and juniors, and Mizuki-sensei teaches the sophomores and seniors. Though when it comes to you guys, you'll be grouped with the freshmen since you're foreigners."

Kankuro scowled. "What is that supposed to mean? Are you saying we don't know anything about the Land of Fire just 'cause we're not from here? Well, let me tell you this, kid, we learn plenty back in Suna. I can name all the Hoka-"

"Kankuro." Gaara said quietly and Shikamaru noticed how the older boy immediately shut up. The three siblings exchanged looks before Gaara turned to the two guides.

"I apologize for my brother's rude manners."

"It's fine," Sakura said. She frowned, wondering why his apology sounded so familiar. "Wait a second. Aren't the three of you the ones who were at the Leaf yesterday? The ones Konohamaru ran into?"

Shikamaru had no idea what she was talking about but by the looks on their faces, they understand what she meant.

"Oh!" Kankuro exclaimed. "Yeah, that's right! You're that rude kid's friend! No wonder you looked familiar! You and that one idiot kid. Man, I should-"

"Kankuro!" Gaara said, for the second time. Shikamaru didn't like the direction this was headed and was relieved when Gaara bowed his head towards the two Konohagakure citizens.

"Once again, I apologize. Kankuro, don't bring it up again. It was your fault for overreacting."

Kankuro growled. "This is why I hate kids."

Shikamaru stared at the sky, watching as a lone cloud slowly drifted. This was going to take forever.

 

Shikamaru and Sakura had introduced all the buildings by now and it was almost time for school to start.

"I think it's about time to wrap things up," Shikamaru said. Sakura nodded her head in agreement.

"The first class is homeroom, and all three of you have Kakashi-sensei with me, so I'll be taking you there." Sakura said. "We'll be seeing each other throughout the day and we'll meet up with you during lunch."

Shikamaru sighed. "Yeah, bye then."

Shikamaru left as quickly as he could and made his way to Asuma's room.

"Yo, Shikamaru!"

Shikamaru had never been so glad to see Chouji in his entire life.

"What did Tsunade-sama want this morning?"

Shikamaru sighed and took a seat next to Chouji. Knowing Asuma, Shikamaru figured there wouldn't be a seating chart. "She assigned me as a guide for some of the exchange students."

"The exchange students?" A new voice asked. "How are they? I'll bet they're cute!"

The two boys turned to see their third friend, Ino.

"I don't think Shikamaru is the best judge on looks," Chouji grinned. "Anyways, don't you have a thing for Sasuke?"

Ino shrugged and took a seat near them. "So, how was it, Shikamaru?"

"It was horrible," Shikamaru said. "They were so scary, especially the youngest one. He's in our year."

"Who are they?" Ino asked curiously, leaning forward.

Shikamaru sighed. "Tsunade-sama just had to give me the hardest group of people to handle. They're the Kazekage's children."

"The  _Kazekage's children?_ " Chouji said. "You weren't rude to them, were you? I hear they're pretty scary people, especially when mad."

Shikamaru shuddered at the thought of the three siblings trying to kill him. "I don't think I was. But anyways, I have to spend the entire day with them, as per Tsunade-sama's orders. She'll kill me otherwise."

"Wow, that sounds tough," Chouji said, putting a reassuring hand on his friend's shoulder. Shikamaru wondered how he had managed to get stuck with all the troublesome women.

"Oh, come on, Shikamaru," Ino said. "They can't be  _that_  bad."

Shikamaru shook his head. "You have no idea. Remind me to murder Naruto for this when I see him. Anyways, I don't want to talk about them anymore. What are your schedules?"

The three friends took out their schedules and compared them.

"It seems we all have history together," Shikamaru said. "Though that's all we have."

"That's because you're too smart," Ino said. "You're taking all the more advanced classes. See, I have two more classes with Chouji than with you. Though, I do wonder if Sasuke-kun will also be in the same class!"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "You literally saw him two days ago."

Ino pouted. "Yeah, but Sakura was also there. She always ruins everything."

Shikamaru sighed and didn't argue.

"Hey, I don't see any of our other friends here. Are they all in other classes?" Chouji said as he took out a bag of chips. "Asuma-sensei won't mind if I eat, right?"

Shikamaru shook his head. "Nah, he won't care. Just don't make a mess. If it's Naruto though, I won't be surprised if he overslept."

Ino rolled her eyes and poked Shikamaru in the arm. "Hey, isn't that Shiho?"

Shikamaru followed her gaze and saw a familiar girl walking towards them. Shiho was another freshman who had taken advanced classes at Konoha High before.

"Hi, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru nodded his head in greeting. "Hey."

Although they had taken plenty of math classes together over the past few years, Shikamaru wasn't exactly close to her and didn't really know what to say. Thankfully, he was saved by the bell ringing and Asuma walking in.

"To all the freshmen in this class, welcome to Konoha High! I will be your homeroom teacher, Sarutobi Asuma. I don't really have many expectations for this class. I just want you all to be respectful and keep the noise to a decent level. Alright, I'll be taking attendance now."


	5. My Name is Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All characters belong to Kishimoto-san.

 

**Chapter 5: My Name is Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto!**

The three Sand siblings followed the pink-haired girl, Sakura, over to the English department building.

They entered one of the rooms—room seven—and were confronted with a crowd of curious eyes staring at them. Whispers filled the room and Kankuro could make out some of them.

_"So they're the foreigners?"_

_"Oh, look, I think they're the Sunagakure kids."_

_"No way, you mean the Kazekage's children?"_

_"They kind of look funny. Especially that boy in the front."_

_"Yeah, what's that on his face?"_

Kankuro ignored them and turned to the front of the room, where the whiteboard was. There was only a simple message on the board:  _Please take a seat._

"Hey, Sakura-chan!" a loud voice called out, breaking the drone of hushed whispers. The Sunagakure citizens watched as a very familiar boy made his way over, his school uniform put on rather sloppily.

Sakura gave him a strained smile. "Hello, Naruto."

Kankuro exchanged glances with his siblings. So this was Uzumaki Naruto. He looked like the loud, obnoxious, reckless type, but also the one who was always late for everything. Kankuro's guess was confirmed by Sakura's next statement.

"I'm surprised you got here on time."

"Hey, I can be on time, dattebayo!" Naruto protested. "But hey, aren't those the Sunagakure people from back at the hotel?"

Kankuro narrowed his eyes at him. This rude boy was getting on his nerves again. Temari saw his movement and put her hand out in warning.

"Don't cause any trouble," Temari said under her breath. "Gaara's still here."

Kankuro nodded slightly.

"Yeah, we are," Kankuro said, addressing Naruto's question. "Sorry about earlier, though. Let's just forget about it and start again, yeah? I'm Kankuro, by the way."

Kankuro offered his hand and Naruto shook it a bit too enthusiastically.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto!" The blond said. "That's a name you'd better remember-ttebayo! I'm going to be Hokage one day!"

There was a scoff. "Say that after you pass all your classes."

It was another familiar face, Uchiha Sasuke. Unlike Naruto, Sasuke was dressed neatly in his school uniform, with his shirt tucked in.

"Hey, I'm not dumb, you know!" Naruto argued. "I'll be Hokage one day! Just you wait, Sasuke!"

Sasuke ignored him and made his way to a seat at the far end of the room, by the window.

Naruto frowned and followed him over. "Hey, are you ignoring me again-ttebayo?"

Sakura laughed nervously. "Sorry, that was Uchiha Sasuke-kun."

"We know," Gaara said. "We met him that day, too. He's from the Uchiha family, isn't he?"

Sakura nodded. "Anyways, it seems Kakashi-sensei isn't here yet, but it does say to just sit down, so why don't we find somewhere to sit?"

By the way Sakura kept glancing over in Sasuke's direction, Kankuro knew she wanted to sit next to him but was polite enough not to boldly leave her guests alone. Kankuro figured it wouldn't hurt to sit next to him, especially since Uzumaki Naruto had already taken a seat next to him. Before he could say anything however, his sister beat him to it.

"Why don't we sit over there?" Temari suggested, gesturing towards the row behind Sasuke. Sakura looked almost too excited and Kankuro smirked.

"I'll take the seat by the window," Kankuro said, claiming the spot before Sakura could sit there.

Temari rolled her eyes, knowing all too well what Kankuro was doing: he was having his revenge, albeit using a pretty immature tactic. Temari took a seat next to him, with Gaara on the other side, forcing Sakura to sit next to Naruto in the row in front of them. The bell rang, signifying the start of class, but there was no teacher in sight.

"Shouldn't Kakashi-sensei be here by now?" Naruto whined.

Sakura looked worried. "You don't think something happened, do you?"

"Unlikely," Kankuro said, surveying the room. He discovered how only the freshmen and the exchange students had quieted down. All the upperclassmen were still talking. They looked as if the bell hadn't just rung.

"The teacher is most likely always late," Temari observed and Kankuro nodded in agreement.

"What kind of teacher is late, though?" Kankuro said. "Back in Suna, everyone was always on time. We got punished if we were late, including the teachers. Geez, Konoha citizens must be slacking off. No wonder Konohagakure ranks lower than Sunagakure when it comes to academics."

"Hey, that's not true-ttebayo!" Naruto shouted. "You can't just say that 'cause our school's not as strict on rules as yours!"

"Calm down, Naruto," Sasuke said, looking bored. Kankuro noted how Sasuke's bored expression was different from Shikamaru's. Shikamaru just looked bored, as if everything took too much effort; on the other hand, Sasuke's bored expression was one of cold disinterest.

"Well, aren't you loud." The boy in front of Naruto turned around. He had pale skin and black hair, and a blank expression on his face. It was almost like Gaara and Sasuke's, except not as cold and calculating. "Don't you know it's because of students like you that Konohagakure is ranked lower?"

Naruto frowned. "Who're you?"

The boy smiled, but Kankuro noticed how it wasn't a friendly sort of smile. "I don't like you. You're very loud and annoying, and the first day has barely started."

Naruto got up out of his seat. "What was that? Who's loud and annoying? You're the one who just entered this conversation! And for the record, I'm very smart, just so you know, dattebayo!"

The boy shrugged. "We'll see about that."

"Hey, you wanna fight?" Naruto yelled. He stood up on top of his chair. "My name's Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto! And I'm gonna be Hokage one day-ttebayo! None of you guys can stop me! You all better remember that name!"

Kankuro grinned. The kid was amusing. He saw Sakura burying her head in her heads, her face flushed red from embarrassment, and he couldn't help but laugh.

"Uzumaki Naruto seems like an energetic person," Temari said, raising an eyebrow at the scene.

"He's like a little kid," Kankuro corrected. "He even talks like one."

"No matter what you think of him, we still must protect him," Gaara stated.

"Yeah, we know, Gaara," Kankuro said. "What do we do about that other kid, though? The Uchiha."

Gaara shook his head. "Don't mess with him. He's part of the Uchiha family here, the ones in charge of Konohagakure's police."

"Oh," Temari said. "That explains why he seemed so skilled with that stick of his yesterday."

"I'll bet I could take him on, though," Kankuro boasted. Uchiha Sasuke didn't look like much. In Kankuro's eyes, he was just a kid trying to mimic adults.

"We've been learning to fight for ages," Kankuro continued. "Someone like him wouldn't even be able to compare."

"Not necessarily," Temari said. "You obviously don't know anything about the Uchiha family."

"The Uchiha is one of Konohagakure's oldest families," Gaara clarified. "They own the police, and often their members are elite warriors."

"Yeah, but how good can they be?" Kankuro said. "It's not like a Uchiha has ever been Hokage. On the other hand, our family's been Kazekage for years."

"Kankuro, if you think about it, Gaara's the same age as him and Gaara fights better than you," Temari reasoned. "It wouldn't be so far-fetched to say Uchiha Sasuke fights as well as you, if not better."

Kankuro shrugged. He saw how Uchiha Sasuke had turned slightly in their direction when they had started talking. No doubt the younger boy had heard every word.

"Everyone, please quiet down!" A boy announced as he stood in the front. He had ash-gray hair tied back in a ponytail and round glasses on his face. Unexpectedly, most of the class obeyed him, except for a certain blond idiot. The gray-haired boy looked over to Naruto, who was still standing defiantly on his chair.

"Please get down from there, Naruto," the boy said.

Naruto sat back down, shooting glares at the boy seated in front of him.

The boy at the front of the room introduced himself. "My name is Yakushi Kabuto. I've been asked by Kakashi-sensei to take attendance for this class as he is running late."

There were murmurs throughout the classroom and Kabuto adjusted his glasses.

"As the upperclassmen already know, Kakashi-sensei has a tendency to be late to every class," Kabuto explained. "He assigns different seniors every week to take attendance."

"You're a senior?" Naruto interrupted, standing up again. "You don't look like one, dattebayo."

"Sit down, Naruto!" Sakura hissed, pulling him back down.

"Yes, Naruto, I am a senior," Kabuto said calmly, "And you are obviously a freshman. For homeroom, Kakashi-sensei doesn't really have any rules. Just make sure to stay in here until the bell rings, and to be on time for attendance every day. Any questions?"

Naruto raised his hand and Kankuro was surprised to see the boy had some self-restraint. "But then, when will Kakashi-sensei be here?"

"Whenever I feel like it."

A man with silver hair stood by the doorway, nearly all his face hidden by a mask. He held a book in one hand, and waved at his students with the other. He smiled apologetically at them, or what Kankuro assumed would have been a smile, if he had been able to see the teacher's expression underneath the mask.

"Sorry, I'm late," Kakashi said, nodding for Kabuto to take a seat among his peers. "I had some things to do this morning. It's the first day of school after all."

"Half the period is already over-ttebayo!" Naruto complained. "What did you have to do that took you that long?"

"Uzumaki Naruto, was it?" Kakashi said, looking at the file in his hand. "It seems you were quite the troublemaker back in junior high."

"Hey, it's not my fault the teachers don't get me, dattebayo!" Naruto said, standing up for the third time. Kankuro wondered if he even had the ability to sit still for ten minutes.

"It wasn't my fault their teaching styles were so boring! How does anyone expect me to just stare at books all day?"

"That's kind of the point of school," Kankuro said, rolling his eyes. He realized he had spoken aloud when he felt the eyes of the Konohagakure students on him.

"You must be one of the Wind country exchange students," Kakashi said. "The Kazekage's oldest son Kankuro, correct?"

Kankuro nodded his head. "Yes, sir."

There were snickers and stifled laughter in the room. Kankuro frowned. What was so funny? He looked around the room and everyone avoided their gazes nervously. Growing up as the Kazekage's son, Kankuro had never had it easy when making friends at school. Everyone was always jealous or scared of him. It seemed even coming to a foreign country would not solve that.

"Anyways, let's get attendance done with for today," Kakashi said, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

After Kakashi had taken attendance, the room was once again filled with chatter. Except Kankuro noticed that half the conversations were about him and his siblings.

"What was so funny?" Kankuro demanded. "Why were they all laughing at me just now?"

Temari shrugged, just as clueless. The two of them turned to Gaara, who merely stared back impassively. Gaara was a lot like Sasuke, Kankuro realized.

"Sorry about their behavior," Sakura said. "We're not so big on tradition and rules here in Konohagakure. I think the other students just found it funny you addressed Kakashi-sensei as 'sir'. Usually, a simple 'yes' will do."

"Oh." Kankuro shook his head. "It's just like I said; you guys have no manners here. Back in Sunaga—"

"Yes, yes, they know," Temari interrupted impatiently. "You don't have to tell them again."

"Hey, what're your names again?" Naruto asked, butting himself into their conversation.

"Kankuro, Temari, Gaara."

Naruto nodded. "Are all three of you freshmen this year? Is it true you're the Kazekage's children?"

"Yes, we are the Kazekage's children," Gaara said.

"That's so cool, dattebayo. That means one of you guys will be the next Kazekage, right? Hey, let's be friends! 'Cause I'm going to be Hokage one day!"

Kankuro resisted the urge to strangle him. He was getting tired of listening to Naruto talking about becoming Hokage. Kankuro doubted such a thing would ever happen, anyway. The Hokage was a title awarded to one who could run the city of Konohagakure as well as protect the daimyo of Fire. While Kankuro admitted Naruto most likely could learn the fighting skills necessary, the boy surely wasn't smart enough to pass the academic exams needed. In contrast, Gaara looked stunned at Naruto's comment.

"You…want to be friends?" Gaara asked cautiously. Kankuro exchanged looks with Temari. This was new behavior from Gaara.

Naruto nodded his head excitedly. "Yeah, that's right! Imagine that: the future Hokage and Kazekage as best friends!"

Gaara blinked at him. "Are you not scared of me?"

Naruto looked at him, puzzled. "Scared? Why would I be scared of you, dattebayo?"

Gaara shook his head. "Never mind."

He accepted Naruto's offered hand stiffly, as if unsure of what to do. "I will become friends with you, Uzumaki Naruto."


	6. Friends, Rivals, and a Lazy Ass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All characters belong to Kishimoto-san.

 

**Chapter 6: Friends, Rivals, and a Lazy Ass**

The bell rang, indicating the end of class.

"Gaara-san, you have history next, right?" Sakura asked.

Gaara nodded and Naruto jumped out of his seat excitedly.

"Hey, me, too!" Naruto said, waving his schedule around. "Come on, I'll show you where to go, dattebayo!"

Sakura shook her head at him. "You don't even know where it is, do you?"

Naruto shrugged. "I'll find it eventually!"

He ran out before Sakura could respond, dragging a startled Gaara with him.

 

Contrary to Sakura's predictions, Naruto had no trouble finding Kurenai-sensei's room: room eight of the social science building.

Gaara followed him into the classroom and spotted Shikamaru already there, sitting at a seat near the back, facing the window. Gaara wondered if that was a thing Konoha High students did—sitting in the back, near the window. Did they learn better in those spots?

"Hey, Shikamaru, you're in this class, too?" Naruto called out.

Shikamaru turned to them at the sound of Naruto's voice, an irritated expression on his face. "Oi, Naruto, come here! Do you have any idea how troublesome this—" Shikamaru stopped, his expression changing to one of forced politeness as he caught sight of Naruto's new friend. "Oh, uh, hello, Gaara-san."

"Gaara- _san_?" Naruto burst out laughing. "Man, Shikamaru, he's, like, the same age as us, dattebayo!"

Shikamaru shrugged and Gaara noticed how nervous he looked, his attitude contrasting sharply with Naruto's cheerful vibe. This was nothing unusual, though; everyone back home had done the same thing. Now that Gaara thought about it, no one had ever wanted to be friends with him before. Until Uzumaki Naruto.

"Come on, Gaara!" Naruto said, patting the seat next to him. "Take a seat with me and Shikamaru!"

Gaara sat down, studying the other boy while doing so. So this was Uzumaki Naruto, the son of the late Namikaze Minato. Gaara wondered why Naruto didn't share the same name as his father, and why he didn't know about his heritage, and then immediately dispelled such thoughts from his head. The current Hokage had his reasons. Besides, Gaara was here to follow orders, not question them.

"Hey, Gaara, can I see your schedule?" said Naruto, interrupting Gaara's thoughts. Gaara took it out and handed it over.

"Aw, man," Naruto pouted. "We don't have any other classes together-ttebayo! Though, we can always have sixth period together. Do you have any idea what club you might want to join-ttebayo?"

"No," said Gaara. "I don't know anything about the classes here."

Naruto nodded thoughtfully. "Well, there's always lunch. The clubs will be out and stuff and we can go check 'em out together! As for me, though, I'm gonna join the fight club!"

"The fight club?" Gaara asked. It sounded dangerous—not something he would have expected Konoha High School to have.

"Well, we just call it that," Naruto explained. "It's officially the self-defense club-ttebayo. They practice all kinds of stuff. It's great practice for someone like me who's going to be the Hokage one day. Also, Sasuke's gonna join it, so I gotta join it, too! I can't let him beat me, dattebayo! Unlike me, though, Shikamaru here is in the shogi club. Like, don't only old people play that?"

Shikamaru glared at him. "Shogi is a perfectly fine game for even kids like us."

"Maybe if you were smarter you'd be able to understand it, Naruto." The girl sitting behind Shikamaru said. She had long, light blond hair tied up in a ponytail. A chubby boy holding a bag of chips seated next to the girl nodded his head in agreement.

"Hey, that's not true!" Naruto exclaimed. "I'm smart enough as it is-ttebayo!"

The girl rolled her eyes and noticed Gaara for the first time.

"Oh, hey, there," she said. "You must be one of the Sunagakure exchange students, right?"

Gaara extended a hand. "Yes. I am Gaara."

"Ino," the girl said. She gestured to her friend with the chips. "And this is Chouji."

Chouji nodded his head in greeting and continued eating.

"Geez, how are you still eating?" Ino asked. "Weren't you done with that, like, fifteen minutes ago?"

"I took out another one," Chouji said, as if it were obvious.

Ino sighed. "Why am I stuck with the idiot boys. I kind of wish Sakura were here. Do you know if she's in this class?"

"She's not," Naruto said. "She's got some advanced class or something. With Gaara's sister."

"Oh," Ino perked up. "Are you the youngest?"

Gaara assumed the question was directed at him, considering how the four of them seemed to know each other very well already. "Yes."

"What's that like?" Ino asked. "Most my friends don't have siblings so I wouldn't know what it's like. Are they annoying? Because Naruto is annoying enough as it is, and he's not even my brother."

"Hey!"

Gaara frowned. He had never really thought about it before.  _Were_  his siblings annoying? All his life, they had just been his older siblings. There were no feelings attached. Sometimes he felt like they were incompetent nuisances, but most of the time he didn't really feel anything towards them, as long as they did their jobs and weren't in his way. Which they never were.

"They… are alright." Said Gaara. "I would not exactly call them annoying."

Just then, Kurenai walked in and the class got quiet.

"Good morning, students," Kurenai said. "Welcome to history class. I will be your teacher for this year, Yuhi Kurenai. This class will be focused on the formation of Konohagakure, as well as its early years."

Naruto groaned loudly. "We already learned that last year, though!"

Kurenai narrowed her eyes at him. "And what is your name?"

"Uzumaki Naruto!" Naruto said proudly, unaware of the danger he was in.

"Well, Naruto," Kurenai said slowly. "Why don't you come sit in the front?"

"But I like it here!" Naruto said.

"I'm not giving you a choice."

Naruto grumbled and got up. There was a loud snicker and Gaara located the sound coming from a boy with wild, brown hair and red markings on his face, which reminded Gaara of Kankuro's similar markings. Kurenai turned to the other boy. It seemed Gaara was not the only one to pinpoint his location.

"And why don't you join him, too, Inuzuka-kun?"

The boy started, nearly falling off his chair. "M-me?"

"Unless there is someone else from your family here, then yes."

The boy sat down sullenly next to Naruto.

"Now, if there are no more interruptions, I will begin class."

 

As Kurenai continued teaching, Gaara had little trouble following along since he had learned the basics about Konohagakure back in Sunagakure. Soon, first period ended and Shikamaru and Naruto walked off in a different direction, back to Kakashi's room for literature. Chouji, noticing Gaara had the same class as him next, offered to walk with Gaara to their next class, algebra II with Ebisu. Sakura was also in this class, and she relayed Temari and Kankuro's message to meet up during break. Just like first period, second period passed by quickly and the bell rang for break to start.

Sakura led Gaara back to the English building, where Temari and Kankuro were already waiting. Shikamaru was also there, leaning against the wall next to Kakashi's room. He looked half-asleep; as Gaara approached, he jolted awake, looking confused for a moment before returning to his usual bored expression.

"Oh, hey, Gaara!" said Kankuro. Gaara acknowledged him with a nod before addressing his two guides.

"If you don't mind, may we talk privately for a moment?" Gaara said, indicating himself and his older siblings.

Sakura nodded and Shikamaru did the same, looking way too eager to leave.

"So, what's up?" Kankuro said.

"How are things on your end?" Temari asked.

"Uzumaki Naruto doesn't seem to be aware of his heritage at all," Gaara began. "He also does not appear to be very bright."

Kankuro rolled his eyes. "Yeah, we can tell."

"However, I did not spot anyone suspicious," Gaara continued. "Though, I think it will be hard to protect him. He is very energetic."

"Yeah," said Kankuro. "We didn't see anyone suspicious either. I don't think the Akatsuki would disguise themselves as students, though. Aren't they too old for that?"

"Which is why we should keep an eye on the teachers and adults," Temari suggested. "And also Kakashi-sensei. What's a former ANBU doing here, teaching literature?"

"He's a former ANBU?" Kankuro asked, and Gaara noticed his sister sighing impatiently.

"Yes, he is, which you would know if you paid attention when Baki-sensei taught us about the ANBU last year."

"As long as he does not harm Naruto, then it does not concern us," Gaara asserted and his siblings nodded in agreement. "Now, let's rejoin our Konoha guides."

 

The day had passed by uneventfully so far, besides homeroom with the one and only Uzumaki Naruto. Temari had gone to advanced biology and was surprised to discover that Sakura was also in that class, even though she was only a freshman. Kabuto the senior had also been there, as their TA. Their teacher, Mitarashi Anko, had gone over the syllabus as well as lab procedures and rules.

Second period had been literature with Funeno Daikoku. He seemed like an ordinary teacher, one of those boring ones that the students didn't care about. Kankuro had fallen asleep and somehow not been noticed, further confirming Temari's suspicions about the teacher and Kankuro's assumptions about how slack Konoha High was. Neither of their guides had been in this class, which was filled with mostly juniors, and a couple sophomores, one of which she noticed was Hyuuga Neji, who she had heard about from her father when he had been discussing Suna Corporation's relationships with Konohagakure's second largest company, Hyuuga, Inc.

And now it was time for her third class of the day, physical education. Unlike the people around her, Temari wasn't worried about this class. Athletics was something she exceled in. She couldn't really say the same of Kankuro, though, who preferred to stay indoors and play with his puppets. He had even forgotten to bring his uniform today, and, along with Naruto, to no one's surprise; had been forced to borrow one from the P.E. office. Their teacher, some man named Gai or Guy or something, kind of reminded her of Naruto. He was an excitable person, who shouted out everything enthusiastically. He was always followed by a sophomore who looked exactly like him, dressed in the same hideous green jumpsuit. Temari didn't understand why he didn't just wear the P.E. uniforms like everyone else.

"That's ugly," Kankuro whispered. "How is he even allowed to wear that for P.E.?"

"Just don't question it," Temari whispered back.

"That's Rock Lee," said Shikamaru, having overheard them. He had physical education with them, and looked as if the world were about to end. "He always wears that for this class; it's one of the two classes he's allowed to wear it in."

"Then what's the other?" Kankuro asked curiously.

Shikamaru made a face. "Don't ask."

"How do you know so much about the upperclassmen anyways?" Temari challenged. "Aren't you a freshman?"

"Yeah, but he's a  _really_  smart freshman," Naruto, who also had this class, along with Sasuke, burst out. "Shikamaru's been taking advanced classes here for  _years_!"

"You make it sound like he's been here for more than two years," Sasuke said. Temari was surprised he was willing to join in the conversation.

Shikamaru sighed. "Look, that's not important. Can we please just focus on whatever it is Guy-sensei is saying?"

"Not that you ever pay attention," Sasuke sneered.

Shikamaru shrugged and looked away. Temari got the feeling he wasn't too fond of Uchiha Sasuke.

Guy finished talking, and started them with some laps around the track. Sasuke, Naruto, and Rock Lee immediately started running, with Rock Lee leading the pack.

"You won't beat me, Sasuke!" Naruto yelled, frantically trying to catch up. Sasuke ignored him and ran faster.

Kankuro shook his head. "What's up with him?"

"They're rivals," Shikamaru revealed. "Or, Naruto claims they are. He takes it upon himself to beat Sasuke in everything they do."

"That's stupid," said Kankuro.

"Look who's talking," Temari said. "You're pretty competitive yourself."

"So are you," Kankuro retorted.

"Come on, move it, folks!" Guy yelled and the rest of the students began their run. Hyuuga Neji, and some girl with black hair tied up in two buns, went first; soon they were trailing close behind Naruto. Temari followed after them, with a complaining Kankuro, and a girl she recognized as Hyuuga Hinata, the heir to Hyuuga, Inc. Shikamaru brought up the rear, looking like he was going to die.

"I take it you're not too good at athletics?" Temari teased as she slowed down so she was running next to him.

Shikamaru sighed and said "troublesome" under his breath, but Temari heard him.

"What's your problem?" she snapped.

The freshman frowned at her, giving her his customary blank look. "What?"

"You keep sighing and saying 'troublesome'," Temari accused, wanting to strangle him. "Do you have a problem with me or something?"

Shikamaru sighed—again, Temari noted. "It has nothing to do with you. I just don't want to be here."

"Then stop sighing at me as if it's all my fault," Temari said angrily. "You've been doing that since this morning! I'm just being friendly here, but no, you have to go and sigh and say 'troublesome' as if it's my fault you're now running laps!"

Temari ran off before he could respond, taking her place next to Kankuro again, who gave her a questioning look.

"What happened?"

Temari shook her head. "Nothing."

 

Unfortunately for Temari, Shikamaru also had fourth period, calculus, with her.

"Why does he keep following me everywhere?" Temari demanded. Kankuro stared at her.

"What?"

Temari sighed, and then noticed how she was doing the same thing Shikamaru would normally do, and got frustrated again. "Augh! He's everywhere! He's so annoying!"

Kankuro wanted to ask who, but didn't. He knew his sister well enough to know not to ask.

"Forget it," Temari said. "Let's just focus on class."

"Okay…"

Temari took a seat near the door, far away from the windows and a certain infuriating freshman.

"Good morning, students." Their calculus teacher turned out to be Sarutobi Asuma, who smiled at the two Sunagakure citizens. He took attendance and then began class, talking about functions and reviewing pre-calculus concepts. Compared to Daikoku, Asuma wasn't a boring teacher. He had a lively voice and often forced the students to participate by asking questions. He also seemed to be the friendly and open sort of teacher, and Temari was sure she wouldn't hate this class. Or at least not the subject and teacher. The students were another matter.

"Shikamaru!" Asuma called out suddenly.

Temari looked up from her notes and turned in Shikamaru's direction. She wasn't the least surprised to see him dozing in his seat, his head resting on the desk in an uncomfortable position.

"Shikamaru!" Asuma called out again. "Wake up!"

There was no response, and Asuma threw the whiteboard marker in his hand at him. Shikamaru looked up lazily, deftly catching the oncoming object one-handed.

"You can't keep doing this, Asuma-sensei," Shikamaru said, sounding genuinely annoyed. "It gets old, you know."

"Well, maybe if you didn't sleep in class, then I wouldn't throw it at you," Asuma said. Although his words implied he was angry, Temari noticed how he didn't sound mad at all. "It's only the first day of school, Shikamaru. Try paying attention."

Shikamaru smiled and Temari stared. Did Shikamaru just  _smile_? He was showing emotion for the first time today.

"It's because it's only the first day that I can sleep with no worries," Shikamaru justified.

Asuma sighed, smiling slightly, before turning back to the board and continuing his lesson. It was obvious this was a reoccurring scene between the two of them.

"Man, he's got skills," Kankuro whispered. "Did you see him catch that?"

"Yes, I did," Temari said impatiently. Apparently, there was more to Shikamaru than she first thought. "Now be quiet and pay attention."

Kankuro shrugged as he drew on his paper. "The kid makes a good point, you know. It  _is_  only the first day. What is there to learn, anyways?"

Temari glared at her brother. "We're here to learn. You can at least pretend like you're a good student. We're not here simply as students, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah, we also represent Sunagakure and the Kazekage," Kankuro recited. "Geez, this is troublesome."

Temari swore she was going to strangle someone by the end of the day.


	7. It's Only the First Day, Gaara

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All characters belong to Kishimoto-san.

 

**Chapter 7: It's Only the First Day, Gaara**

Shikamaru wasn't sure what he had done wrong—though if he thought about it, he was  _absolutely_  sure he hadn't done anything wrong in the first place, although Temari kept giving him angry glances every once in a while, when she thought he wasn't looking—but he knew he had to make amends, though he wasn't sure how or when he should. It wouldn't be good for him if Tsunade found out. Or worse, his mother.

Which was ironic, since it was his mother's fault for signing him up as a guide in the first place. But his mother wasn't someone he could go against, so it was really Naruto's fault for mentioning it.

Originally, Shikamaru figured he would only have to deal with the Kazekage's children during break and lunch, and maybe one class, but instead they turned out to be in all but two classes. And, knowing his luck, he'd probably end up with at least one of them for the elective class, though he wasn't too sure why they would decide to join a "boring" club like shogi.

Shikamaru packed up his things—not that he had taken much out in the first place—and followed Temari and Kankuro out of Asuma's class, making sure to keep a decent distance between himself and the angry daughter of the Kazekage.

"Is it lunch time now?" Kankuro asked, sounding eager.

Shikamaru resisted the urge to sigh. "Yeah. Are you guys buying lunch? The line's this way."

Kankuro nodded and Shikamaru led them to where the lunch line had started forming. He stood in line with them, even though his mother had packed him lunch. The three of them stood in silence, and it was not long before he spotted Sakura, with Gaara, Ino, and Chouji, coming in their direction.

"Hey, how was fourth period?" Sakura asked the two older exchange students as they got in line behind them. Shikamaru could tell she was just asking out of duty. Who would ask such a boring question, anyways?

"We just came from P.E.," Sakura continued, gesturing to herself as well as the three students behind her.

Kankuro shrugged, his attention focused on the shortening line in front of him.

"It was fine," Temari answered.

Ino chose this time to step forward and introduce herself and Chouji. She extended a hand and Shikamaru had to give credit for Ino's bravery: she was willingly offering a hand to them.

"Hi, you must be Gaara's siblings. I'm Shikamaru and Sakura's friend, Ino, and this is Chouji."

Temari and Kankuro shook her hand, introducing themselves.

"What class did you just come from?"

"Calculus with Asuma," Temari replied, giving Shikamaru a side glance. "With this guy here."

Ino smirked knowingly. "Was Shikamaru sleeping? He always sleeps in class."

Temari raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really, now? Then I guess today wasn't an exception."

Shikamaru sighed. He had a feeling the two girls were going to get along really well, as if Ino wasn't troublesome enough on her own. Fortunately, he was saved from further embarrassment when they finally arrived at the front of the line. Kankuro was already filling his plate with food, and Shikamaru mentally urged Temari to hurry up so he could start eating lunch already. The faster they started eating, the faster Shikamaru wouldn't have to attempt to talk and hold a conversation with the three siblings.

The Sunagakure citizens eventually finished getting their food, and the group made their way out, trying to find a spot to sit down and eat.

"Hey, Gaara, over here! Oh, and Sakura-chan and Shikamaru!"

It was Naruto, who was standing by a table near Kakashi's room. Shikamaru spotted their other friends already there: Sasuke, seeming disinterested as usual; Hinata, who was quietly eating her lunch; and Kiba and Shino, who were trying to get Naruto to sit down.

"They can hear us, Naruto!" Kiba said, pulling on the other boy's shirt. "You don't need to stand up and cause a scene."

"Yeah, but they might not see where we're sitting!" Naruto protested, continuing his enthusiastic wave.

Kiba rolled his eyes and gave up. "Yeah, whatever, man. It's your lunch that's getting cold, not mine."

"Naruto," Gaara greeted as they approached. Naruto grinned.

"Hey, Gaara! Come sit next to me!" Naruto scooted over, accidently knocking over Sasuke's lunch, which spilled onto him as well as Hinata, who was sitting directly across. Shikamaru groaned. Leave it to Naruto to ruin lunch on the first day.

"Idiot!" Sasuke growled as Naruto apologized profusely.

"Ah, I'm so sorry, Sasuke, Hinata-chan!" Naruto frantically tried to wipe the food with his napkin, but Sasuke shrugged him off.

"Forget it." The raven-haired boy stood up. "I'll clean this up myself."

"At least let me buy you lunch again!" Naruto suggested. "I still have some money, dattebayo! I was going to save it for ramen after school, but I can just buy you lunch!"

"And let you spill it again? No thanks." Sasuke gave him an annoyed look and walked off. Naruto turned to the second victim.

"I'm so sorry, Hinata-chan," Naruto said, lamely offering his napkin.

"It's fine, Naruto-kun," Hinata said quietly, her face growing red. Of course, she would forgive him for something like this, thought Shikamaru. It was apparent to everyone but Naruto how much Hinata liked him.

"Naruto, you're such an idiot!" Sakura scolded as she sat down next to Hinata and helped her clean up.

"I'm sorry," Naruto muttered, looking at the ground.

Shikamaru sighed. "Well, there's no point in you worrying about it anymore. You've already made a mess, so just sit down and eat your lunch, Naruto."

Naruto nodded reluctantly. "Well, you can take Sasuke's spot now, Gaara."

Gaara frowned. "Won't he come back?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Oh, please, once he leaves, he doesn't come back. Honestly though, if I didn't spill his lunch, he still would've eventually left, dattebayo."

Gaara looked unsure but sat down anyways, with his two older siblings choosing to sit next to him, and Ino and Chouji sitting down next to Sakura. Which left Shikamaru with the only option left: to sit next to Temari.

Shikamaru cautiously sat down next to the girl, trying to read her reaction.

"Oh, just sit down already!" Temari said impatiently and Shikamaru jumped slightly, which earned him a few snickers from Naruto and Kiba. Shikamaru glared at his supposed friends. How could they not realize how scary the Kazekage's children were? Even worse, Naruto wanted to be  _friends_  with them.

"So, you're Temari and Kankuro?" Kiba asked, initiating a conversation in the silence. "And you're the Kazekage's children? What's that like? How's the Kazekage? Is he really cool?"

Kankuro shrugged, shoving food into his mouth. "It's a'ight. We don't see him much, though. He's busy most of the time, though he's a really good fighter. He's way better than your Hokage."

"Kankuro!" Temari hissed. "Don't start a fight."

Her warning came too late as Naruto stood up aggressively. "Hey, the Hokage's really good, too! Just you wait 'til I become Hokage!"

"Naruto, please sit down," Shikamaru said wearily. "You don't want to knock over another person's lunch, do you?"

"Oh, right!" Naruto said, hastily sitting back down again. He turned to the three exchange students and started to introduce the rest of their friends. Shikamaru blocked the noise out and focused on his lunch. It was only the first day of high school, but he felt tired already. There was just way too much excitement. Shikamaru wondered if the rest of the year would also be like the first day, but then mentally scolded himself for such a ridiculous question. It was a fact, especially with Naruto around, that the rest of the year was going to be far from calm.

 

Temari finished her lunch, trying patiently to listen to the boys' conversation about some video game or another. Kankuro was talking excitedly, gesturing wildly with his hands, which received a few laughs from Naruto, Shikamaru's friend Chouji, and the two other boys who had introduced themselves as Kiba and Shino.

On the other side of the table, the girls were having their own separate conversation, with Ino and Sakura having a small argument of some sort. The only person bored here, besides herself, was the one and only lazy ass of Konoha High. She noticed he had finished eating and was nodding off again. She had two options: it was either be with him, or sit here uncomfortably for another fifteen minutes.

She decided to go with the former. Temari nudged the sleeping boy—although a bit too hardly—and he woke up, looking extremely alarmed, before his unfocused gaze landed on her.

"What is it?"

"Get up," Temari demanded, not giving him any time to protest. "We're going to go take a look at the clubs. You said they'd be out at lunch, right? And anyways, you're already done eating."

Shikamaru looked confused. "Oh."

Temari got up, looking at him expectantly. Shikamaru shrugged uneasily and followed along.

"Hey, we're leaving first," Shikamaru told his friends. "I'm going to show her the clubs and stuff."

"Wait!" Naruto said, cramming the last of his lunch into his mouth. "I'm done, too. Let's all go together-ttebayo. Gaara hasn't decided what to join either, right?"

Temari frowned. This wasn't what she had in mind; she was trying to avoid the large group, not stick with it.

"You guys go ahead," Kiba said, leaning back in his chair. "Shino and I have already signed up for one."

"Let's split up into two groups, boys and girls," Ino suggested. Temari decided she rather liked the other girl.

Everyone voiced their agreements, and Temari saw how relieved Shikamaru looked, which made her angry. Did her presence bother him that much? Or was he simply sick of leading them around all day? Why was he even a guide if he didn't want to be one?

"Alright, let's go!" Naruto shouted, his loud voice interrupting Temari from her thoughts. Temari cleared her head and followed Sakura to the other side of campus.

 

Gaara trailed behind Naruto, watching the other boy's facial expressions as they examined each club.

"Apparently there's a drama club," Naruto said as he read a sign by a table, his voice a mix of horror and disgust. "Who would join such a thing?"

"Right, and who in their right mind would join a fight club?" Shikamaru countered.

Naruto scoffed. "Says the one who's in the most boring one ever."

"Shogi isn't boring."

"You're in a shogi club?" Kankuro asked, looking impressed and Gaara understood why. Shogi was a strategic game, one that required intelligence and good planning skills. "Are you any good?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "I'm okay."

"Yeah, right," Naruto accused. "You're the best player in Konoha High, maybe even in all of Konoha!"

"Except for his father," Chouji said. Gaara noticed how he had another bag of chips with him. "No one beats Shikaku-san."

"Yeah, well, I'm sure Shikamaru will beat him one day," Naruto said confidently. His blue eyes lit up as he spied something in the distance—or rather, someone.

"Iruka-sensei!"

Iruka turned out to be a man with black hair tied up in a ponytail, with a scar across his face. Despite the scar, Iruka looked like a friendly teacher and he greeted Naruto with a warm smile.

"Naruto, how have you been?"

"I've been fine, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto said. He revealed Gaara and Kankuro. "These are my new friends, Gaara and Kankuro! They're the Kazekage's children, dattebayo!"

Iruka's expression changed to one of caution and respect. He nodded his head politely in their direction.

"Hello, Gaara-san, Kankuro-san," Iruka said, bowing slightly. "I'm a teacher here, Umino Iruka."

"He teaches math!" Naruto said. "In fact, I actually have you for the next class, Iruka-sensei! Also, why are you being so polite to them? You're older than them, aren't you?"

Iruka gave Naruto a thin smile. "Yes, that's right, but a certain manner of politeness should be maintained when talking to the Kazekage's children, Naruto."

"It's fine, Iruka-san," Gaara interjected. "You do not have to speak so respectfully towards us, even if we are the Kazekage's children. As of today, we are merely Wind country exchange students here."

Iruka nodded, looking unsure. "Well, it was nice seeing you, Naruto, but I have some things I need to do up at the office. I'll see you after school."

"Aw, okay," Naruto said disappointedly. "Don't be late!"

Naruto watched him walk off before turning back to his friends. "Come on, the fight club's this way!"

"What  _is_  the fight club?" asked Kankuro. "You keep saying that, but don't tell me it's actually a club where you just fight and stuff."

"It's officially the self-defense club," Shikamaru explained. "A lot of the members want to be the future Hokage; in fact, the club was formed by our current Hokage when he was here."

"Doesn't that make the club super old or something?" Kankuro said.

"Yeah, it is," Naruto said. "And it's the coolest thing ever! They teach you a bunch of stuff, and, like, we even compete in the competitions sometimes."

"It's a lot of work, though," Chouji said. "I'd prefer to join the food club."

Kankuro laughed. "First a fight club, now a food club?"

"It's actually two clubs," Shikamaru corrected. "Kurenai-sensei is the advisor for both the gardening club and the cooking club. They usually just do things together, and we call them the food club. A lot of the clubs are like that since some of them are small."

"Like the shogi club," said Naruto. "Isn't that combined with the board game club?"

"Why do you call them clubs if they're also a class?" Gaara asked. "Why not separate classes from clubs?"

"Tsunade-sama wanted to try something different when she became principal of Konoha High a few years back," Shikamaru said. "She says it's to encourage creativity or something. The students seem to prefer it this way, anyways. There's more options like this, since you can just create your own club and make sure you have a teacher who'll advise it and hand out grades."

Gaara didn't exactly see the point. Perhaps Kankuro was right: Konoha High  _was_  lacking compared to Suna High. Gaara was used to taking eight classes a day, and then clubs after school, followed by private tutoring with Baki. Though, Gaara wondered, maybe he had to take so many courses because he was the Kazekage's son, and the one expected to be the next Kazekage; the Kazekage had to be well-educated, after all.

 

The five boys arrived at the gym, where the fight club was held daily. There was a crowd of people around two teachers: Guy and Kakashi.

"Hey, isn't that Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, wide-eyed. "He can fight?"

Gaara kept quiet, watching from a distance. It wasn't in his place to inform Naruto of Kakashi's ANBU background.

Guy and Kakashi were currently having a friendly bout, demonstrating some simple skills and stances to the gathered students. Hyuuga Neji was standing near them, with a clipboard in his hand—no doubt a sign-up sheet. Naruto and Kankuro rushed forward, eager to see the fight, and Gaara followed after them.

As Gaara drew near, a boy wearing a green jumpsuit suddenly appeared in his path, crashing into him. Gaara fell onto the floor, the wind knocked out of him. He reacted instinctively, pulling out his gun without thinking. To Gaara's surprise, the other boy skillfully knocked it out of his hands and the gun went flying in Kankuro's direction, who had turned around when he had heard the noise of Gaara falling.

"Gaara, don't— ," Kankuro shouted but was too late. Gaara threw a punch at the green jumpsuit boy, who merely countered it with his hand.

Gaara narrowed his eyes at him, throwing another punch, and then a kick, both of which were deflected. The boy was no ordinary student if he could block all of Gaara's attacks; he  _had_ to be an assassin in disguise, sent here by his father's enemies to kill him. They were always trying to kill or kidnap him. Every single day for as long as he could remember, even while he was at school. Suna Junior High's security wasn't bad, but the assassins still found their way in sometimes, and it was at times like this Gaara hated being the Kazekage's son and heir. With a growl, Gaara took out his second pistol, aimed it, locked it—

"That's enough!"

A man was suddenly in front of him, wearing the same clothing as Gaara's assaulter. He was using his body to block the boy from Gaara's view, and Gaara guessed he was an accomplice. He re-aimed the gun, this time at the man—

"Put the gun down, Gaara-kun," Kakashi said, putting a hand on the gun.

"Gaara, please calm down," Kankuro begged his younger brother desperately. "I'm sure it was an accident. I don't think he was trying to kidnap you or anything."

Gaara lowered his hand. He blinked, puzzled for a moment, before he remembered where he was. He was in Konoha, not Suna. There was a crowd of students staring at him, most of them having expressions of horror and fear.

The boy who Gaara had almost injured was probably one of the members of the fight club. He dimly remembered him as Rock Lee from his second period math class.

"What's the meaning of this?" Guy demanded, forcefully yanking the remaining gun out of Gaara's hand. Gaara made no resistance and let Guy restrain his hands.

"Guy, I'm sure it was an accident," Kakashi reassured his fellow teacher, who looked as if he was going to murder Gaara on the spot.

"An accident? How is  _bringing a gun to school_   _an accident_?" Guy accused. "And not only one, he brought  _two_ of them!"

Kakashi whispered something in Guy's ear, and Gaara caught the words "Kazekage", "son", "heir", and "assassination attempt".

Guy calmed down but remained glaring at the red-haired boy. "Let's have a nice talk with the principal, Gaara."

Gaara nodded, saying nothing.

"Kankuro, you come, too, and give me the other gun," Kakashi said and Gaara's brother hastily handed the gun over to him.

The two brothers followed the adults to the principal's office. As he walked, Gaara felt the many eyes of the Konoha High students on him, and he grew angry. It was just like Suna Junior High all over again. The same scared expressions, the same anxious voices, the same  _judging eyes_. What did they know about being the Kazekage's son and heir? What did they know about having to grow up with the uncertainty of living the next day? What did they know about what it was like to  _struggle to survive_?

One thing was for sure, though. Gaara had made a mistake, and his father would hear about it soon.


	8. Apologies, and Then Some More

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All characters belong to Kishimoto-san.

 

**Chapter 8: Apologies, And Then Some More**

Temari was with the girls, watching as Sakura and Ino argued about who would end up with Sasuke. Personally, Temari couldn't understand why they liked him so much. Sure, he was cute, and he was talented, but he was so cold and aloof all the time, the way Gaara was. Temari rather preferred someone friendlier.

"T-Temari-san."

It was shy Hyuuga Hinata.

"Yes?"

The blue-haired girl pointed in the direction behind Temari. "I-I think I s-saw your b-brothers walk by with some t-teachers."

Temari frowned. The only thing of significance behind her was the office… What could possibly have happened? Kankuro complained a lot, but he would never cause trouble, and Temari herself had not done anything yet, which left just Gaara. Temari had a sinking feeling; whenever Gaara caused trouble, it was always bound to be huge.

"Sorry, guys," Temari excused herself from the freshmen. "I think my brothers are in trouble."

Sakura followed her gaze and nodded her head. "Fifth period will start soon, though."

"Then I'd better be quick."

 

It turned out her suspicions had been right. As Temari walked, she spied the familiar mass of red hair and Kankuro's wrapped puppet near the office. Temari still questioned how Kankuro had been allowed to bring his puppet—if she could even call it that since Kankuro had turned it into a makeshift backpack—to school. But then again, Gaara had been allowed his gun.

Two teachers were standing with her brothers: ANBU member Hatake Kakashi and the P.E. teacher Guy. Kakashi caught sight of her and waved her over.

"What happened?" Temari inquired anxiously.

Kakashi's expression was unreadable under his mask as he replied. "I'm afraid you'll have to ask Kankuro. The two of you will have to wait out here while Guy and I take Gaara in to have a talk with Tsunade-sama."

Temari nodded wordlessly, watching an expressionless Gaara—with his hands tied up, Temari noticed—escorted by Kakashi and an angry Guy.

"Temari!" Kankuro had finally noticed her. Her younger brother looked extremely nervous as he stood next to her.

"What's going on?" Temari confronted him. "Did Gaara do something?"

Kankuro's eyes were a mix of guilt and pleading. "You know how he is, Temari! I tried to stop him, but I couldn't! He's just so scary when he gets like that!"

"Yeah, okay, but  _what happened?_ "

Kankuro looked around him, checking to see if anyone was near. The bell had already rung by this point, and everyone else was already in class. After confirming no one but them were around, Kankuro leaned close to his sister and whispered the explanation.

"He did  _what?_ " Temari couldn't believe Gaara would pull such a stunt on the very first day. He was always careful about his missions, especially when it came to not angering their father. Speaking of the Kazekage, their father was going to be very furious; Gaara had nearly killed two people, if not more.

"Why didn't you stop him?" Temari demanded. "You were right there; you should have stopped such a thing from happening!"

"But you know, as much as I do, what he's like!" Kankuro replied angrily. "And anyways, how was I supposed to know that that Rock Lee kid would slam into him like that? What kind of person can knock Gaara over like that? Also, you should've seen it yourself! He knocked the gun out of Gaara's hand!  _Gaara_ , of all people! You know that's nearly impossible!"

Temari forced herself to calm down and considered Kankuro's words. He was right; in that situation, it would have been easy for Gaara to misunderstand and react in the wrong way.

"You're right," Temari admitted after a while. "Gaara's impossible to stop once he gets started."

Kankuro sighed. "Yeah, and who knows what'll happen now? Why would he even bring two guns to school?"

Temari raised an eyebrow at him. "Says the one who brought his puppet to school."

"Hey, this is for self-defense! And it's not like my puppet will kill people! It's wrapped up most of the time, anyways! Also, it's my backpack! How do you expect me to come to school without my backpack?"

"Sure, whatever you say."

 

Gaara quietly observed the adults as Kakashi explained the situation to Tsunade. The woman next to Tsunade—Gaara had heard Tsunade address her as Shizune—looked shocked and a bit horrified. Guy was still angry but had calmed down considerably, and Kakashi was as relaxed as ever. Tsunade herself was also calm, though her eyes betrayed her surprise and anger.

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence after Kakashi had relayed the earlier events. Gaara took it upon himself to initiate the conversation, as he had been drilled to do so many times by his father, the Kazekage.

"I sincerely apologize for my actions today," said Gaara, bowing lowly. "I have no excuses for nearly harming and possibly killing two people today. I will accept whatever punishment you hand out, even if it is expulsion."

Tsunade looked a little taken aback, but quickly composed herself. "I'm not sure we will need to go  _that_  far, Gaara-kun. Kakashi here says it was a misunderstanding, although a rather dangerous one."

Gaara said nothing though he was relieved he didn't have to be sent back to Sunagakure yet. He did not want to meet his father.

Guy, on the other hand, was not as pleased. "How can you call pulling a gun out a simple misunderstanding?" Guy burst out.

Tsunade silenced him with a look. "I did not say it was simple, only that it was a misunderstanding. Gaara-kun, please understand that the students here are mostly just that—students. Although, of course, there are students like Rock Lee who excel at combat. However, let me assure you that the security here is not as lenient as it would seem; we have ANBU agents placed throughout the school for cases like this."

"You mean people like Hatake Kakashi." It wasn't a question.

Tsunade looked surprised again, though Kakashi merely looked curious.

"Yes, like Kakashi here." Tsunade did not question how Gaara had found out and continued with the agenda.

"As for punishment, I think we'll have to suspend you for a few days."

"Just a few days?" Guy protested. "Isn't that a bit less?"

"Yes, a few days will be fine," Tsunade said. "I am sure Gaara-kun has learned his mistake and won't repeat it again. However, you  _did_  almost kill a student, so I'll be adding one hundred hours of community service to that, and an apology to Lee."

Gaara nodded his head, accepting his fate in silence. He was somewhat surprised that he had not gotten a worse punishment; but then again, he  _was_  the Kazekage's son.

Afterwards, Tsunade had called Baki and told him the news. Gaara knew he was in for a long lecture once he got back to the hotel. He would rather face his father than Baki.

 

After the phone call, his older siblings had been called into the office. Both of them had avoided his gaze, taking in the results of Gaara's actions in silence. Temari had apologized again, on Gaara's behalf, and Kankuro had done the same, promising to make sure it never happened again. Gaara couldn't help but feel contempt. His siblings were making promises that they knew they wouldn't be able to keep if the time came, as if they had the talent to stop him. It angered Gaara to see them apologize on his behalf; he could hear the annoyance in their words as they were forced to apologize, as if he weren't capable of apologizing himself.

"Well, that will be it for now," Tsunade concluded. "Please head to your fifth periods now. Gaara's suspension will start next week, and his hours have to be completed before winter break."

 

Shikamaru yawned as Ebisu talked about significant figures. Physics class was proving to be very boring so far. Shikamaru would rather have had Asuma teach him than this stuck-up teacher. He wondered how Konohamaru even learned with this man as his private tutor. He looked around the room. Hyuuga Neji was sitting in the front of the classroom, his posture slightly disinterested. Shiho was also in this class; she was seated next to Shikamaru, concentrating on the lesson, though Shikamaru caught her glancing in his direction every few minutes.

The bell finally rang and Shikamaru sighed. If he had been anyone else, he would have jumped out of his seat and left immediately; however, he was not, and such an act required too much effort on his part. On any other day, he would meet up with Chouji and Ino, and maybe Naruto and the rest of the group, and they would hang out before he had to go back home. Unfortunately, today he was a guide for the Kazekage's children and he still owed an apology to a certain terrifying girl. Shikamaru was not looking forward to seeing any of them, especially after what happened at lunch today.

"Shikamaru!" Naruto burst into Ebisu's classroom. "What's taking you so long? Hurry up! Let's go eat ramen! Iruka-sensei says he'll treat us!"

Shikamaru sighed as he got up. "Sorry, I still have to meet the Suna kids."

"Oh, you mean Gaara, right?" Naruto's eyes lit up with excitement. "Can I come with you, dattebayo?"

Shikamaru shrugged. He didn't understand how Naruto was still so eager to be Gaara's friend after what they had witnessed. "Sure."

The two of them had not made it very far when Chouji appeared, with Gaara a decent distance behind him.

"Hey, Gaara!" Naruto yelled, revealing his location to the red-haired boy.

Gaara approached them, looking cautious. "Hello, Naruto."

Shikamaru offered his own polite greeting, to which Gaara responded in kind. The two of them exchanged looks, but neither commented on Gaara's earlier behavior.

"Come on, let's go!" Naruto said, breaking the silence. The four of them made their way over to Kurenai's room, where Sakura, Kankuro, and Temari had their fifth period class.

"Shikamaru, there you are," said Sakura as the boys approached. "Oh, and Naruto and Chouji, too."

Naruto grinned. "Hey, Sakura-chan! You want to join us? Iruka-sensei says he'll treat us to ramen, dattebayo!"

Sakura smiled politely at him. "No, thanks, Naruto."

"Anyways," said Shikamaru, who wanted to get it over with already, "The first day has ended, so we're no longer your guides anymore. Though, if you do have questions, feel free to ask us."

Shikamaru had to force the words out. No,  _don't_  feel free to ask us, Shikamaru wanted to tell them. He had had enough of the three siblings to last a lifetime.

"Thanks for showing us around and stuff," Kankuro said, looking just as relieved as Shikamaru felt.

"Hey, let's all go eat ramen!" Naruto said. "You guys are invited, too!"

"Sorry," said Temari. "We have to go back right now."

Shikamaru noticed how she was looking at everyone but him.

"Oh." Naruto looked disappointed, but then brightened. "Maybe another day, dattebayo?"

Temari shrugged. "Yeah, maybe."

As everyone parted ways, Shikamaru stopped her, earning himself a curious look from Kankuro.

"Hey," he started lamely. The older girl turned to glare at him.

"What is it now?"

Shikamaru swallowed nervously. This was as scary as apologizing to his mother.

"I, uh, just wanted to apologize," the lazy boy said. "For, you know, sighing and stuff. Sorry if I made you uncomfortable. It's just a habit of mine."

"Yeah, a very bad habit," Temari said. She looked as if she were debating whether to murder him or not before she finally sighed. "It's fine. It's not like we'll be seeing much of each other anymore."

"Oh. Okay. Then, uh, I'll be going now." Shikamaru started to walk off. When there was no reaction, he assumed she had accepted his apology. He let out a loud sigh. Time to forget about today.

 

Kankuro trudged behind his siblings, his hands in his pockets. He knew what was coming for them when they got back to the hotel. Baki would be standing there, with that same disapproving scowl. At least, Kankuro figured, he wasn't the only one in trouble; Gaara would also get scolded. Baki was probably the only person Gaara would slightly listen to.

To no one's surprise, Baki was right at the entrance of the hotel when they got there. He escorted them to the top floor, and it was an uncomfortable few minutes in the elevator with none of them talking. Temari was looking at the floor, Baki was looking straight ahead, and Gaara was looking as expressionless as usual. Kankuro wondered if he even felt guilty for what he had done, or nearly done.

They finally reached their area of the top floor and Baki immediately glared at them. Kankuro swallowed nervously, avoiding his eyes.

"Would any of you like to explain what happened today?" Baki asked, his voice deadly quiet. "Perhaps you, Gaara?"

Gaara looked up directly into Baki's eyes, though Kankuro caught a look of unease.

"I accidently lost control and pulled out my guns," Gaara stated. "And almost killed a student."

"And what were you doing, Kankuro?" Baki's accusatory glance fell on him.

Kankuro fidgeted with a loose bandage from his puppet. "I was ahead of Gaara, sir, so I did not see the student knock him over."

"And Temari?"

"We had been split up during lunch." His sister sounded calm, but Kankuro knew she was just as nervous as he was. There was no telling how Baki would react, or even worse, how their father would react.

There was a long pause.

"I think all three of you have learned your lessons. And anyways, this was mostly Gaara's fault, and he's already been punished by Tsunade-sama, though I will be adding a month of chores to that list."

Kankuro let out a sigh of relief. Baki wasn't mad. Or at least he was pretending not to be, which was good for now.

"I expect all three of you to stay here for the rest of the day," Baki continued. Kankuro almost groaned out loud, but doing so would have Baki extending the punishment. Suddenly, Baki smiled.

"On a side note, your packages have arrived."

"Packages?" Kankuro grinned. "You mean, from Suna?"

Baki nodded. "That's right." He gestured behind him, and it was only then Kankuro noticed the people holding boxes. One of them was moving a rather large box when he suddenly dropped them. There was the sound of something shattering and Kankuro exchanged alarmed looks with his sister.

"Gaara's gou—" Kankuro and Temari started, but Baki cut them off.

"Gaara's gourd is safe in his room," said Baki. "I'd be crazy to trust the movers with something so precious. I have most of your stuff in your room already, Gaara."

Gaara nodded and walked into his room without a word.

Temari and Kankuro exchanged looks again, except this time one of excitement.

"Finally, Ant and Salamander are here!" Kankuro rushed towards the boxes, startling some of the movers. "It's time to unpack things!"


	9. Gaara's Gourd

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All characters belong to Kishimoto-san.

 

**Chapter 9: Gaara's Gourd**

Temari watched as Kankuro ran towards the stacked boxes, wincing slightly as one of them nearly fell over.

"Please be careful, Kankuro," warned Baki. "The boxes are labelled with your names so don't take the wrong ones."

"Yeah, yeah, got it."

"What was in that box, though?" Temari asked curiously. She couldn't think of anything else that would shatter like that besides Gaara's gourd.

Baki looked a bit embarrassed. "Oh, I brought over some plants from Suna, which included the vases. I thought the three of you might miss home, and I know how much you and Gaara love plants."

It was always something Baki did, Temari noticed; he always included Gaara in the group, even though the younger was never homesick. Temari rarely remembered to include him when she did things. For a long time, it had always been Temari and Kankuro, just the two older children of the Kazekage. Sometimes she felt bad for not considering Gaara as a part of their group, since Gaara  _was_  her younger brother after all. There had been a moment in their childhood when they had included Gaara in their little group, but that was before the accident had happened.

Temari shook her head, not wanting to remember such memories. She followed Kankuro's example, searching for her name amidst the identical boxes.

 

Ten minutes later, she had three boxes in her room, neatly placed on the floor opposite her bed.

The first box contained more clothes, all of them efficiently folded, which Temari quickly organized and put away in the closet.

The second box contained an odd assortment of items, just things Temari had thrown in at the last-minute yesterday morning. There were some school supplies—unsharpened wooden pencils and neat bundles of lined paper—some spare batteries, a flashlight, and even a screwdriver, though Temari was sure she hadn't put that in there.

The last box was the one Temari was most looking forward to opening. It was larger than the other two, almost Temari's own height. The outside of the box was carefully wrapped up in tape, and Temari knew the inside would be packaged just as carefully.

Temari opened the last box, revealing a large fan. The fan had been a gift from her mother—in fact, the only one she ever received before her mother had passed away. Temari hated reviving old memories but couldn't help herself as she stared at the fan in front of her, the sunlight through the window reflecting off the metal.

It had been years ago when Temari learned about the fan that had always been in her room. She had been three, maybe younger, maybe older, Temari wasn't too sure. Her mother had explained to her, how it was something her ancestors had done, how it was tradition to give gifts to each child. The fan was merely a sort of good-luck charm, a decoration that Temari would keep in her room, though at a young age the fan had towered over her so moving it by herself would have been impossible at that time.

Kankuro, too, had received a gift from their mother: a large puppet by the name of Karasu, or Crow. Initially, it had been a harmless puppet, but as Kankuro grew older, and his entertainment in tinkering with puppets became evident, the puppet had been installed with numerous weapons and mechanisms.

Temari's mother had then shown her a gourd, which was to be her youngest brother's gift, but before it happened, her mother had died, and Gaara himself had nearly been assassinated right after he was born.

After her mother's death, it had been Temari's uncle Yashamaru who had told Gaara about the gourd in his room, and it became an extremely precious object to Gaara, one which he would even go so far as to kill to protect.

Temari shuddered as she imagined what might have happened earlier, if the contents in the dropped box had been Gaara's gourd. Once again, she was glad for Baki's wisdom and foresight in personally bringing Gaara's belongings to his room. Though, she reasoned, she could understand Gaara's reaction to having his gourd destroyed. Like the gourd was to Gaara, Temari's fan was something very precious to her, being the only thing that she could really feel connected to her mother with. Kankuro probably felt the same way, even if he did change the original design of the puppet.

Temari took the fan out of the box, brushing aside the paper it had been wrapped in, and placed it near her bed, wondering what her life would be like if her mother had been alive. She forced the thoughts out of her head. She couldn't change a past that had already happened; it would do no good to daydream about it. She still had things to clean and organize, after all.

 

Gaara made his way over to his room as Baki continued talking with his older siblings. No doubt he would call the Kazekage later, and Gaara was not in the mood to be there when it happened.

Gaara had to admit he had been just as anxious as his siblings when the mover dropped the box. There was only one material that could make such a sound when shattered, and the only thing Gaara could think of right away was his gourd.

His gourd.

It was something he hated but at the same time he couldn't bear to part with it for long. He didn't know why, but he needed his gourd just as desperately as he needed water to survive in the desert. It was a fact that frustrated him.

When Gaara opened the door to his room, the gourd was there, its bright color standing defiantly against the dark of his room. The youngest son of the Kazekage cautiously approached it, as if it would suddenly come alive and devour him.

Gaara slowly put a hand on the gourd, checking it for signs of damage. There were cracks, but only the same ones that Gaara had inflicted on it himself in past years. The boy let out his breath, which he hadn't been aware he had been holding.

"So, you're safe," Gaara said softly, lifting the gourd. He felt the familiar weight of the object in his hands, the familiar sound of sand rubbing against the inside of the gourd. He set the gourd back down, and shrugged off his backpack, leaving it on his bed. He turned to the window and opened the blinds slightly, just enough to let a little sunlight in for the cacti plants that Baki had placed by the window.

"Why did Mother give you to me?" Gaara mused aloud, expecting no answer and receiving none. "If she hated me so much, then why did she give me something so valuable?"

Gaara stood still, watching the gourd, expecting it to hold all the answers he sought. There was no reaction, and Gaara made his way back to the gourd again. This time, while standing on top of a chair, he uncapped the top and reached inside. His hand made its way past the rough sand, until it made contact with something cold and metallic, a relic from a bygone past that he had wanted to bury and forget, but couldn't.

Gaara pulled it out, and the object came into view: the hauntingly familiar shape of a pistol. He held it in his hands, feeling the cool metal against his skin, observing the way it seemed to fit perfectly into his hands, as if it had been custom-made for him.

The gun had once belonged to his uncle, a Sunagakure ANBU named Yashamaru. After his mother's death, Gaara had mostly been raised by Yashamaru, who had been kind to him. He had been Gaara's closest friend and confidante, or so Gaara had thought.

 

It had been a quiet night, with the moon illuminating the clouds in the sky. As usual, during the day, Gaara had been chased away by the other kids in his village, his siblings had been nowhere to be found, and he had received a stern scolding from the Kazekage for something he hadn't even done.

And now even Yashamaru, his only friend, was avoiding him.

The six-year-old boy wandered through the village, searching for his uncle. Gaara had the pistol his uncle had given him in his pocket; Yashamaru had explained to him that his father was the Kazekage, and as such, his son would be targeted, and so Gaara had to protect himself. Gaara had no reason to distrust Yashamaru; in fact, the boy knew that he had been the recipient of multiple assassination attempts from the moment he had been born.

"Yashamaru?" Gaara called out, but there was only the sound of the wind.

Eventually he gave up, and returned to the place Yashamaru called "home". His siblings were asleep and the Kazekage was waiting outside, a look of contempt on his face.

"What are you doing outside at this time?" The Kazekage accused. "Did you kill someone again?"

Gaara said nothing, though he wanted to. He wanted to explain that the previous deaths had all been accidents, accidents that Gaara had little control over—

Gaara bowed his head and walked off, towards the roof, the only place he felt he could truly be alone without the hateful eyes of everyone in the village. He stared at the sky, at the numerous drifting clouds that never knew where they were going, that never knew their end destination.

 _But at least they have more companions than me_ , Gaara reflected sadly. As he watched the clouds cover the moon, there was a sudden loud  _bang_ , and Gaara immediately spun around, the pistol already loaded in his hand. The bullet had missed him, but the boy knew the next one might not.

There was a man there, his face covered in a mask, with gun in his hand, aimed directly at the boy's heart.

Without thinking, Gaara fired his own gun, watching the man fall down, blood seeping from his wounds.

 

Gaara was back in his room again, Yashamaru's pistol in his hands. He saw his gourd next to him, and the hotel bed, and the closet filled with clothes. Except he wasn't really in his hotel room; he was still back in Sunagakure, hearing the sickening thud of the man he would later recognize as Yashamaru falling down, the smell of blood suffocating him, the feeling of pain from his own self-inflicted wound.

And Yashamaru was in front of him again, glaring at him with a look of pure hatred.  _Deep down inside… I think I resented you._

Gaara took a step back, his breath coming in shorter and shorter gasps. He loaded the pistol in his hands—no, Yashamaru's pistol, not his, it was never his—and aimed it at the wall, where Yashamaru was standing, as if mocking him.

_My older sister did not want you_

Yashamaru took a step towards him.

_I resented you, for stealing the life of my sister_

He held a gun in his hands, the very same pistol that Gaara was holding.

_Gaara… a demon, who shall only love himself._

It was no longer the pistol, but a knife in his hands, the blade flashing dangerously in the moonlight.

_Love only yourself, and fight only for yourself… so by doing that, you will be able to keep existing_

Gaara's grip on the pistol tightened, his finger on the trigger. Yashamaru's last words rang in his head, over and over again, until it was a deafening roar in his ears.

_No, you were never loved, and now, please die with me._

_You were never loved. Please die with me._

It wasn't just Yashamaru's face now. There was his father, and his older siblings, the ones who were supposed to be his family, but had never been.

_Please die._

The villagers were there, and the Council of Elders, each one with varying expressions of hate and fear.

_Die._

 

"Gaara-sama, what are you doing?"

Gaara blinked, and the faces disappeared, revealing a concerned Baki at the doorway. It took the boy a moment to realize he still had the gun in his hand, and he had been about to fire it. His breathing was short and ragged and his hand was shaking.

"Gaara-sama, are you alright?"

Gaara nodded, putting the gun down, forcing his face to remain calm.

"I am fine," Gaara lied. "Is there something you need?"

Baki did not pressure him. "I found another box of yours. I'm leaving it out here."

"That is fine. I will get it later."

Baki nodded, taking it as his excuse to leave. The door closed and Gaara looked at the pistol in his hand, at the intricate designs on the barrel.

Taking a deep breath, Gaara got back onto the chair, and forced the gun back into the gourd, and back into the past. He buried it deep in the sand, hoping the memories would stay forgotten along with it.

He capped the gourd again, and moved it into his closet, where he would not be able to see it without opening the closet door. Some things were better left alone.


	10. Ino-Shika-Cho

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to ohud63 for the review, and yeah personally chapter 9 has been my favorite chapter so far.
> 
> Some terms you may or may not know:
> 
> dobe: it essentially means "idiot", and it's what Sasuke often calls Naruto. In turn, Naruto uses "teme"
> 
> teme: a word that means "bastard" or the sort, and is what Naruto often calls Sasuke
> 
> mendokusei/mendokusai: it's just "troublesome" in Japanese and the actual phrase Shikamaru uses is "mendokusei", which is Japanese slang for "mendokusai"
> 
> All characters belong to Kishimoto-san.

 

**Chapter 10: Ino-Shika-Cho**

Shikamaru was starting to get a headache as he watched Naruto talking excitedly to Iruka, moving his hands about in a wild manner as he described the events of their first day of school.

"You should have seen Gaara, dattebayo!" Naruto said as he stuffed ramen into his mouth. "He was so cool! He attacked Rock Lee and he wasn't losing either!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "It's not like he was winning, either."

The Uchiha boy was sitting a few chairs off from the rest of the group, far enough that he could act like he wasn't a part of the group, but still close enough to be included. Shikamaru watched as Sasuke sipped his water, his eyes observing everyone else in cold silence.

"Why does he always come with us if he doesn't eat?" Chouji asked, following Shikamaru's gaze.

"He probably has nothing better to do," Shikamaru said as he sipped his own water. He was currently with Naruto, Chouji, Ino, and Sasuke at Ramen Ichiraku, a small ramen shop close by Konoha High. It was Naruto's favorite restaurant, and his default go-to for food.

"Didn't he not eat lunch today?" Shikamaru asked, remembering how a certain idiot had knocked over Sasuke's food during lunch.

"Hey, that was an accident!" Naruto exclaimed, finishing the last of his first ramen bowl.

"Slow down, Naruto," Iruka said, anxiously looking at his wallet. "I can't buy you  _that_  many bowls of ramen, you know."

"Especially with Chouji here," Iruka added under his breath, but Shikamaru caught the words.

"It's not like I'm eating," Shikamaru assured him. "Sasuke and Ino aren't, either."

"Though I did order a drink," Ino pointed out, swirling her straw in her smoothie.

Shikamaru was slightly surprised she was listening to their conversation; she had been eyeing Sasuke the whole entire time, trying to get his attention.

"The ramen here is the best, though!" Naruto asserted, starting his second bowl of ramen. "But anyways, like I was saying, Gaara's so cool! But I guess that's what you'd expect of the Kazekage's son, dattebayo! I really hope he joins the fight club. It's hard to see him otherwise since I only have homeroom and first period with him."

"Aren't two classes with him enough for you?" Shikamaru asked. "Aren't you scared of him?"

Naruto turned to him, confusion evident in his eyes. "What do you mean? Why would I be scared of Gaara?"

"Shikamaru does have a point, Naruto," Chouji said, also starting his second bowl of ramen. "I mean, he pulled out a  _gun_ , of all things. He could have killed Rock Lee."

"He had a gun?" Ino gasped. Ino, along with the other girls, hadn't been there to witness Gaara's terrifying moment during lunch, and none of the boys had thought to inform them yet.

Naruto nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, he even had two of them!"

"Why are you so impressed with him having two guns?" Sasuke interrupted. "The Uchiha clan have many types of guns."

"Yeah, but you won't invite me over to see them," Naruto pouted. "I'll bet Gaara will show me the guns tomorrow when I ask him!"

Sasuke frowned, even more than usual. "I can show you my guns, too. We even have other weapons."

Shikamaru stared at him. Sasuke sounded petulant, even a bit envious. Was Sasuke  _jealous_  of Gaara?

"You will?" Naruto's blue eyes lit up and he almost knocked over a bowl. Thankfully, Iruka caught it in time and placed it back onto the table.

"Won't your father be mad?" Iruka inquired. "Wasn't that the reason you never showed Naruto before? Fugaku-san is strict when it comes to Uchiha clan secrets."

Sasuke shrugged, taking another sip of his water as he tried to act nonchalant. "It's just some weapons, not the clan's secrets."

"But the Uchiha oversee the police force," Iruka insisted. "Your father probably won't want strangers looking through police weaponry."

"Aw, come on, Iruka-sensei," Naruto pleaded. "It's just like Sasuke said! They're just weapons! It's not like I'm going to steal them or anything, dattebayo!"

Iruka looked at him skeptically and Shikamaru couldn't blame him. Naruto had a habit of causing trouble when he was younger.

"You do have a record for causing mischief, though," said Ino, voicing Shikamaru's thoughts. "Who was the one who defaced the Hokage faces with paint?"

"Hey, that was in my younger years, okay?" Naruto protested as he finished his third bowl of ramen. "I don't do that kind of stuff anymore, dattebayo! I'm all grown up now! I'm going to be Hokage, and one day my face'll be up there, dattebayo!"

"Say that after you pass your classes," Sasuke said, getting up. "It's been an hour already. I have to go home and help my father out."

"Oh, you're going already?" Naruto said, getting up also. "Take me with you this time!"

Sasuke shook his head, but Shikamaru caught a faint smile on the other boy's face. "Not today, dobe."

Naruto scowled. "Don't call me that! I'm not an idiot!"

Sasuke smirked and turned to leave. "Maybe if you stop acting like one."

"Teme!" Naruto yelled after him but didn't leave his seat. "Is another bowl okay, Iruka-sensei?"

Iruka sighed and checked his wallet again. "Jiraiya-san transferred some money to my bank account this morning so it should be fine, Naruto. But only one more, and that's it."

"Ero-sennin is back?" Naruto asked, nearly choking on his water from excitement. Jiraiya was Naruto's legal guardian, but he was often out of the city, choosing to travel around to "research" material for his novels. In Jiraiya's absence, Iruka often took care of Naruto, and in turn, Jiraiya would give him the money he would have used on Naruto.

"Man, I haven't seen him in months, dattebayo!" Naruto said, accepting the fourth bowl from Teuchi, the restaurant owner.

Iruka shook his head. "Sorry to disappoint you, but he's not back yet, Naruto."

"Oh." Naruto scowled. "I'll bet he's busy peeping again, that old pervert."

Shikamaru sighed. "I'm surprised you've never picked up his habits, Naruto."

"I'd kill him if he did," Ino threatened and Naruto nervously reassured her that no, he would never do such a thing.

Eventually the group finished their food and, after Iruka paid the bill, they went to the arcade, where Shikamaru won all the games they played.

"That's not fair!" Naruto whined. "Why can't we play the action games? If we keep playing these games that require brains, then Shikamaru always wins!"

"That  _was_ an action game," Ino pointed out. "You just suck at strategy."

"I do not!" Naruto denied. "Let's go one more round, Shikamaru! I'll beat you this time, dattebayo!"

Shikamaru sighed. "It's getting late, Naruto. Let's continue this some other day."

Besides, Shikamaru thought, I'm not Sasuke. Shikamaru didn't understand Naruto and the friends he made, though that included himself. Naruto was willing to be friends with anyone, from the rude Sasuke, to the intimidating Gaara, to himself, Konohagakure's laziest person.

"Fine," Naruto conceded. "See you tomorrow then!"

Shikamaru waved wearily at him as he ran off, with Iruka hurriedly trying to catch up to him.

"Time to head back now?" Chouji asked.

"Unfortunately, yes."

 

Shikamaru knew there was no avoiding his mother; as soon as he, Chouji, and Ino entered his house, she was there, smiling brightly at them. Chouji and Ino, noticing his mother's mood, chose to go along with it, greeting her cheerfully.

"So how was school today, Shikamaru?" Yoshino asked.

Before Shikamaru could reply, Ino answered her, a big grin on her face. "Oh, it was so fun today, Yoshino-san. Shikamaru really enjoyed his role as a guide."

Chouji nodded excitedly as he accepted the snacks Yoshino handed them. Opening the bag of chips, Chouji added his own opinions to Ino's.

"Shikamaru was actually talking. It's the most I've ever heard him talking outside of just the three of us."

Shikamaru glared at his two supposed best friends. He wanted to shut himself in his room so he didn't have to listen to the rest of the conversation. What kind of friends were they, anyways?

Yoshino raised an eyebrow at her son. "You voluntarily talked?"

Shikamaru shrugged and headed for his room as fast as he could, hoping Chouji and Ino would follow him. "Yeah, I guess."

Yoshino smirked and followed them, persistent as always. "I told you being a guide would be good for you."

" _Mom_ ," Shikamaru protested.

"Fine, fine, I'll ask you about it at dinner. Don't forget it's a Monday, though."

"Yeah, I know."

Shikamaru sighed and closed the door behind him. "Mendokusei."

"You have to admit you did talk more than usual," Ino said as she took over his chair and desk.

Shikamaru shrugged. "Yeah, since what else could I have done? Mom would kill me if I didn't talk, especially once she finds out they were the Kazekage's children. Man, what a drag."

Chouji offered the bag of chips to him. "Well, it's over now, so you don't have to worry about it."

"Where are we eating dinner tonight, anyways?" Shikamaru asked, changing the subject.

"Isn't it Chouji's turn?" Ino said, absentmindedly opening the drawers of his desk.

Shikamaru frowned at her. "Please don't do that."

"Why, do you have something to hide?" Ino said.

"No, but you'll mess things up and I just cleaned that yesterday. I don't need my mom to nag again." The way Shikamaru figured it, women were troublesome, no matter who they were. If it wasn't Ino teasing him, it was his mother bothering him to do chores, or Tsunade ordering him to stop slacking. It seemed his life was constantly filled with troublesome women.

"It's not my turn," Chouji said. "It was my turn last week, so it's Shikamaru's turn this week. I hope your mom is having barbecue for lunch."

Shikamaru shrugged. "Only if our dads are coming home early. They're the ones who do the barbecuing."

"Oh, yeah, haven't they been really busy lately?" Ino said. "My dad said something about a gang or something?"

"My dad calls them the Akatsuki," Chouji said. "I think they're international fugitives."

"It's the gang Itachi's in," Shikamaru said, lazily lying down in bed and staring at the ceiling. "Though honestly, I don't understand how that happened. Itachi was always a model citizen. I never thought he would join a gang like that."

Chouji nodded in agreement. "Yeah, and he's also a Uchiha prodigy. He graduated college years early and was already in the police force. What more could he have wanted?"

Ino was silent for a moment. "I hope Sasuke doesn't join him."

At the mention of Sasuke, all three of them got quiet.

"Sasuke isn't like that," Chouji said, trying to reassure his friend, though Shikamaru could tell how hesitant he sounded about it.

"Anyways," Ino said, trying to lift the mood again, "How about we watch—"

Ino was interrupted by the sound of three loud, drunk voices announcing that they were home.

The children exchanged looks and Ino got off the chair.

"I think our fathers are home."

 

Three men were standing in the living room of Shikamaru's house. There was Inoichi, with his long blond hair tied up in a ponytail like his daughter; and Chouza, with a grocery bag filled with meat, which he passed to his son. Supported between the two men was Shikamaru's own father, who held a wine bottle in his hand and was swaying slightly.

"Dad," Shikamaru greeted, then frowned. "You went  _drinking_?"

"Shh," Shikaku said, offering the bottle to his son, who politely refused it. "Don't tell your mother."

"I think it's too late for that," Yoshino said, appearing at the doorway with Chouji and Ino's mothers.

"Y-Yoshino, dear," Shikaku said, hastily hiding the bottle behind his back. "Guess who came back early today?"

Yoshino gave her husband a stern look, and Inoichi and Chouza quickly let go of him, surrendering their friend to his wife's wrath.

"And guess who is in trouble for drinking this early?" Yoshino asked as she dragged her protesting husband away.

"Why  _are_  you back early?" Ino asked her father. Inoichi smiled fondly at his daughter and gestured for them to all go to the backyard, where Chouza and Chouji had started setting up the grill.

"We finished up early," Inoichi explained. "We caught Zaku right where Shikaku said he would be."

"Zaku?" Shikamaru asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Yeah. He's the one we're after, except it turns out he's also Orochimaru's spy. We turned him over to the Uchiha. Though, that means, since Zaku's been captured, it's the end of our involvement with the Akatsuki. It's the police and the ANBU's problem now. Shikaku figured it was a cause for celebration. After all, we have been tracking Zaku for weeks now."

Orochimaru was a name they knew well; he was one of Konohagakure's wanted men. He was a member of the Sannin, the three most talented people of Konohagakure. All three Sannin had once been the current Hokage's students at Konoha University. Orochimaru had been a renowned scientist, though his experiments eventually raised questions about his morality. The other two members of the Sannin were Naruto's guardian Jiraiya, who was a famous author, and Shikamaru's principal Tsunade, who had mastered all the medical knowledge in the Land of Fire, and more.

"Orochimaru's back again?" Shikamaru asked as he and Ino set up the silverware while their mothers brought in the food.

"Maybe, maybe not," Inoichi said. "We don't know for sure yet what he plans to do. Honestly though, I like to say we're done with the Akatsuki, but I doubt the Uchiha or the ANBU will stop asking for our help."

"That's because you three are one of the best at interrogation," Yoshino said, coming back with a much soberer Shikaku.

Yoshino sat herself down at the table and everyone followed suit.

"Does that mean you'll be back home earlier from now on?" Chouji's mother asked.

Chouza handed out some of the barbequed meat before replying.

"I hope so. But like Inoichi said, we probably won't be left alone for long."

"It's not like we have nothing to do," Shikaku added. "We still have a couple of cases left to solve."

"It should be quiet for a while, though," Inoichi said.

The three families fell into comfortable silence as they ate the food, with the adults having their own conversations occasionally.

"I hope the Akatsuki don't do anything in Konoha," Yoshino said, frowning. "It's already more dangerous now that the Kazekage's children are here."

"The Kazekage's children?" Ino's mother asked and Shikamaru tensed. He knew what was coming next.

"Yeah," Ino told her mother. She gave Shikamaru an evil smile. "In fact, they're coming to Konoha High as exchange students this year, and Shikamaru just so happened to be their tour guide today."

"Shikamaru was?" Shikaku asked, looking interested. "How was he? Did he talk?"

"I  _did_  talk," Shikamaru said sullenly. "Why do all of you act as if I don't talk, normally?"

Chouza gave him a friendly smile. "It's not a bad thing, to not talk."

"Shikamaru talks plenty when he's with us," said Inoichi.

"You make me sound like I'm introverted," Shikamaru muttered.

"No, you're just lazy," Yoshino said and everyone laughed. Shikamaru sighed. His family was by far the most troublesome.


	11. Shukaku, the One-Tailed Beast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All characters belong to Kishimoto-san

 

**Chapter 11: Shukaku, the One-Tailed Beast**

"So, tell me again why I have these random pots of plants in my room?"

Temari was currently sitting with Kankuro in the common room, a small area at one end of the top floor of the hotel. It was reserved for the Sunagakure guests, so Temari and Kankuro had the area all to themselves.

"Stop asking me, Kankuro," Temari said as she flipped aimlessly through the channels on the TV. "I already told you Baki put them there."

"But  _why_?" Kankuro asked, for what was possibly the tenth time. He was sitting on the floor, tinkering with one of his puppets, Kuroari or Black Ant. Bits of tools lay scattered about in a disorganized way, and a small pile of wood was stacked by his side.

"You better vacuum that up," Temari said, referring to the sawdust on the floor.

Kankuro shrugged. "Gaara can do it."

"If you want him to hold a grudge later, then be my guest."

Kankuro paused his work, looking up at his sister in alarm. "You're right. I don't want him to kill me. I'll just clean this up later."

Temari watched as Kankuro continued his work, connecting two wires together and then looping it through another wire. She wasn't really interested in whatever Kankuro was doing, but there was nothing good on TV—not that she recognized the shows in the first place—and she was getting increasingly bored.

"What club do you think you'll join?" Temari asked, more for the sake of starting a conversation than out of curiosity.

Kankuro shrugged, his attention still focused on his puppets. "Probably not the same one as Gaara. I think he'll join the fight club, or whatever it's called."

"Yeah, makes sense for him to join that," Temari agreed. "Uzumaki Naruto is joining that, isn't he?"

"Yup," said Kankuro. "Honestly, I think it'd be fun to join the fight club and show all these Konohagakure kids who's better, but Gaara's already there and I don't want to be anywhere near him."

"But Baki will blame us if Gaara causes trouble again."

"Yeah, but it won't be our fault if we're in a different class."

Temari shrugged. Kankuro had a point there. "You're right. Besides, it's probably better if we split up. That way, we can cover more ground."

"I still think Hatake Kakashi is suspicious," Kankuro declared. "He might be an ANBU in disguise, but why is he also acting as a teacher, then? Shouldn't he be more hidden than this? We recognized him right away when we saw him!"

"You mean Gaara and I recognized him. You didn't." Temari corrected. "But anyways, Hatake Kakashi isn't a problem for now. Just leave him alone and focus on looking for the  _actual_  threats."

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Kankuro said. "But, hey, I think I saw an arts and crafts club today. That's totally my department."

"Yeah, why don't you freak them out with your robots?" Temari smirked. "I don't think they mean your robotic puppets when they say, 'arts and crafts'."

"Oh, shut up," Kankuro said. "My puppets are great! They  _so_  classify as art."

"Can't argue there," Temari said. "You're the artistic type. Just look at the makeup on your face."

"Hey, this isn't makeup!" Kankuro said indignantly. "This is face paint! It's an ancient tradition you wouldn't understand!"

Temari rolled her eyes at him. "Wouldn't something like a robotics club be better for you?"

"Nah, man," said Kankuro, waving a piece of wood at her as if to prove a point. "My puppets are mostly wood. I like to stick to traditional puppets."

"Right, which explains how Baki-sensei got electrocuted that one time he stepped on one of your puppets."

"Hey, that was an accident!" Kankuro explained. "He stepped on it himself, anyways."

There was a moment of silence again as neither of them knew what to say next. Temari glanced at the clock hanging on the wall; it was almost time for dinner.

"Hey," Temari started, "What do you think you'll do in the future?"

Kankuro didn't reply, and for a moment Temari wondered if he hadn't heard her.

"I dunno," Kankuro eventually said. "I think I'd like to continue making puppets. Maybe I'll go be an engineer or something, or maybe a mechanic, you know?"

"I think I'd like to get out of Sunagakure," Temari said. "Go out and see the world, and get away."

Though Temari hadn't said to get away from what exactly, her brother nodded, understanding. "That's a good idea. We should go together."

"Yeah."

There were these moments, Temari thought, where she and her brother completely understood each other. That wasn't such a surprise, though, Temari reflected, considering their family background and the way they had been raised as the children of the Kazekage, with only each other to depend on.

"Temari-san, Kankuro-san, I brought dinner."

Temari glanced away from Kankuro. It was Baki, and Temari was glad for the distraction.

"Wait, is that pizza?" Kankuro asked, standing up and brushing the sawdust off his clothes. Baki winced as he watched the sawdust pile onto the floor, forming little yellow mountains on the navy carpet.

"Yes, it is pizza," Baki said, moving the pizza boxes out of Kankuro's reach. "Please wash your hands first, Kankuro."

Kankuro made a run for the bathroom and was soon back, his hands still dripping with water. He put his hands out and Baki reluctantly gave his eager student a box.

"Is Gaara joining us?" Temari asked, also accepting a box.

Baki shook his head. "Gaara-sama has chosen to stay in his room tonight. I have already given him a few slices."

That was another thing about Baki, Temari noticed; he was only respectful when he felt like it, and even then, he never addressed Temari or Kankuro as "sama". It was always Gaara, as the Kazekage's heir, who was treated with the utmost respect. Temari knew it was a sore subject for Kankuro, the fact that their father had chosen Gaara—who had proven to be more skilled than Kankuro in all sorts of Kazekage-related activities—as the heir to Suna Corp and as the next Kazekage. Kankuro acted like he didn't care, and he  _did_  enjoy building puppets more than managing businesses and fighting, but Temari knew that, deep down, Kankuro was a bit resentful of their youngest brother.

Temari opened her pizza box to reveal the truth of Baki's statement: half the pizza slices were gone. Temari wasn't sure Gaara would eat so much—that was Kankuro's role—but she shrugged and fished one out of the box.

"Do you still have your suit, Kankuro?" Baki asked as the two siblings ate their pizza.

"Yeah, why?"

"The Uchihas have invited us over for a banquet this Friday."

Kankuro stopped eating, the pizza halfway to his mouth. "The Uchihas? As in Uchiha Sasuke?"

"Yes. As the two of you know, they oversee the police force in Konohagakure, and so it only makes sense, as the children of the Kazekage, that they would offer to protect you."

"But a banquet," Kankuro said in disbelief.

Temari didn't really like the formal atmosphere of banquets, but she knew Kankuro disliked it even more; he wasn't very fond of wearing suits.

"It's the polite thing to do when important guests visit," Baki said. "And so, in turn, we, as the guests, should accept and go."

Kankuro groaned and Temari couldn't help but agree. She wasn't looking forward to eating with Uchiha Sasuke, either.

 

Gaara sat on his bed, quietly eating a slice of pizza that Baki had given him. He stared at the wall, still seeing the disturbing images of Yashamaru falling.

Once he finished the food, he went to shower. He stayed in the water for a long time, trying to stall for as long as possible. He knew what would happen once he fell asleep.

It was well past midnight by now, and the moon was bright in the sky. Gaara tried not to fall asleep as he reorganized his clothes, and rearranged the cacti plants, and then went to read a book. However, he soon finished the short novel and, by this point, his eyes were already closing on their own.

Submitting to his fate, Gaara got in bed and closed his eyes.

 

It was just darkness at first. And then, slowly, Gaara could make out the outlines of his hands, and then his feet. He stood atop a castle, made purely of sand, overseeing the vast darkness.

Gaara did not wonder where he was; he knew he was in the same place he always went to in his dreams, the land ruled by  _it_.

Gaara made no moves, standing as still as the sand beneath him. Eventually a figure appeared from the darkness. Gaara was not surprised to see it was Yashamaru.

"Why are you here, Gaara?" Gaara's uncle asked, walking towards him.

"You are the one who forced me here," Gaara replied. Yashamaru was at the foot of the castle now, staring up with strange yellow eyes.

"You do not sound happy to see me."

It was now his mother, the same image as from the pictures Gaara had seen back home in Sunagakure.

Gaara clenched his fists. "I am never happy to see you, and you are never happy to see me. Why don't you show yourself?"

His mother laughed and once again the figure changed, this time to that of the fourth Kazekage.

"You always were such a disgrace," Rasa said. "You should die for killing those people. You should pay in blood."

Blood was rising from the ground, running upwards and into the sand. The ground beneath Gaara's feet turned red, and the faces of his past victims appeared, etched in the sand.

_Save us, Gaara-sama._

_Why did you kill us, Gaara-sama?_

_Die with us, Gaara-sama!_

Gaara took a step back, but there was nothing behind him. He was falling suddenly, into the pitch-black chasm of hate and fear.

 

Gaara woke up, sweat dripping from his face. It took him a few minutes before he could open his eyes, fearing the sight of a familiar monster.

There was only the moon and the stars, as seen from behind his hotel window. There was no one else in the room besides him, and Gaara felt a little silly for being afraid. He checked the time; only half an hour past three. The red-haired boy lay in bed for a while, staring at the moon, which offered him no comfort. Before he knew it, Gaara had drifted back into the realm of his enemy.

 

"Hello again."

He was atop the sand castle again. There was a figure below him, but Gaara could not make out who it was.

"Are you ready to die?" The figure asked. The face changed until it was a girl's, with blond hair tied up in four pigtails: Temari.

Temari pulled on a gun and fired at him. As the bullets raced towards him, they changed into heat-seeking missiles and Gaara could not avoid them. Suddenly they were knives flying at him, the same type of knives as the one Yashamaru had held on the night he had died, the same one Gaara had used to carve the word for "love" on his forehead.

The knives flew at him and Gaara braced himself for impact, but nothing came. The knives seemed to fly right through him, disappearing into the darkness.

And suddenly it was Kankuro, commanding an army of robotic puppets, each of them as large as Gaara himself. They encircled him on top of the castle, each armed with various weapons.

"Why were you born?" Kankuro growled. "Mother would be alive if you'd never been born!"

The puppets were next to him now, and Gaara saw the faces of the people he knew on them. The one nearest him turned its head, revealing the ever-familiar face of his uncle.

"Why did you steal my sister away from me?" Yashamaru whispered, his hands reaching for Gaara's throat. "Do you think your existence means anything? You are  _nothing_."

It was the pistol again, the muzzle pressed painfully against his temple. Except it was no longer his uncle, but his father.

"Goodbye, Gaara."

Rasa pulled the trigger, and pain exploded in his head.

Still Gaara said nothing, even as he felt the sand crumbling beneath his feet. He struggled to maintain his balance as the sand castle disappeared, leaving him on eye level with the figure.

"What do you want?" Gaara demanded. "Why do you always come before me? Begone, you monster!"

The figure snarled and expanded, changing form while doing so. Gaara flinched, watching as his father's dark brown hair turned lighter, and his head rounder, as cat-like ears protruded from his father's head. Dark blue markings wound its way throughout the figure's massive body, all the way to the long tail that had just appeared.

"Begone? How dare a human tell me to  _be gone_!" The monster roared.

Gaara stood his ground, though he was trembling slightly. "I can tell you to do whatever I want! You are merely a part of my imagination! You exist only in my dreams! You are not real!"

"Not real?" The monster hissed. "Not  _real?_  You and I both know I am very much real."

"You are not, and will never be," Gaara asserted. "I created you, and I will kill you."

The monster laughed. "Then why do you call me by name, little boy? Did I not give you my name, Shukaku?"

"I named you," said Gaara, but he could feel his courage seeping out. " _I_  gave you that name!"

Shukaku laughed again, its yellow eyes mocking. "You can't deny that I exist, boy. And once you are fully asleep, I will take over your body and kill everyone around you!"

Gaara knew this made no sense—he was already asleep so how could he fall asleep? —but still the youngest son of the Kazekage could not help but cower beneath the giant monster's taunting.

"You will never control me!" Gaara vowed. "You  _can't_  control me! I am your creator, and I am telling you to disappear!"

Gaara swallowed, hoping Shukaku would vanish, but his hopes were in vain. Shukaku remained before him, looking amused, its tail swinging back and forth, creating large gusts of wind that stung his eyes.

"Is that the best you can do, boy?" Shukaku smiled, revealing the shadows from its jagged mouth. It opened its mouth wide, swallowing Gaara until he was surrounded by nothing but dark emptiness.

And suddenly Gaara was running, his legs straining to take longer and faster strides. The overwhelming feeling of fear drowned him as he continued to run, desperately trying to flee.

"You know there is no escape from me, no matter where you try to hide!" Shukaku howled. "I will hunt you down and kill you! Just try to run, little boy!"

 

Gaara jerked awake, his breathing coming in uncontrollable gasps. The sky outside was still dark and Gaara wished it were morning already. It was five a.m. now. He had only slept two hours, less than what he normally got at four hours, but he knew he could not sleep any longer. Gaara got out of bed as fast as he could, nearly tripping over the edge of the bed, searching for the refuge known as tea. 


	12. This Isn't Your Tree

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All characters belong to Kishimoto-san.

 

**Chapter 12: This Isn't Your Tree**

Shikamaru groaned as his alarm rang again. He glared accusingly at the clock by his bed before he heard the warning "You better be up, young man" from his mother and decided he had better not waste any more time.

It was a Tuesday, the second day of high school, and Shikamaru was in better spirits than he was yesterday. He was finally rid of the troublesome Sunagakure exchange students and could go back to his routine of sleeping in class and being lazy, without anyone—save for his mother, and maybe Tsunade—to answer to.

Ino was already in the kitchen by the time Shikamaru finished brushing his teeth and getting dressed.

"Your buttons are off," Ino observed and Shikamaru looked down at his shirt to check that the buttons were, in fact, crooked, with the first button hanging free.

Ino rolled her eyes at him and redid the buttons of his uniform shirt. If this had been anyone else, Shikamaru would have been embarrassed, but this was Ino and Shikamaru was used to her doing these kinds of things for him.

"Honestly, it's like you and Chouji don't know how to dress yourselves," Ino scolded and Shikamaru shrugged, taking a seat at the table.

"Did you eat already?" Shikamaru asked as he accepted the plate of waffles his mother handed to him.

Ino nodded. "Yup. Chouji's probably done soon, so we're just waiting on you now."

Shikamaru shrugged again. "It's not like we're late."

"For now, at least," said Ino, taking a seat next to him. The door opened and soon Chouji appeared in the kitchen, a pastry of some sort in his hand.

"Are we going yet?" Chouji asked, taking a seat on the other side of Ino.

"We're still waiting for this person here to finish breakfast," Ino said, indicating Shikamaru and his half-finished waffles.

"Are you going to finish that?" Chouji said as he finished the last of his pastry.

Shikamaru handed his plate over. "Not really."

"Shikamaru, are you handing your breakfast to Chouji  _again_?" Yoshino accused as she stood in front of the three children.

Shikamaru sighed. "You always make too much, Mom."

Yoshino fixed her son with a death-glare. "And if I made less for you, would you finish them? No, you wouldn't. You would still hand some over to Chouji, so I  _have_  to make more."

"But you purposely make more knowing Chouji will want some," retorted Shikamaru, earning himself another glare and the promise of more chores to do once he got home later today. He figured it was time to retreat.

"Anyways," Shikamaru said, quickly getting up, "Isn't it time to head to school now?"

He bolted for the car, shouldering his backpack and grabbing his lunch along the way. Ino and Chouji followed him, though at a slower pace.

"Thank you for the food, Yoshino-san," Chouji said and Yoshino smiled at him.

"Any time, Chouji."

Although his mother reprimanded him for not finishing his breakfast, Shikamaru knew she didn't mind him sharing it with Chouji. Shikamaru didn't understand why his mother enjoyed tormenting him like that, but he reckoned it was one of the things he would never understand about women.

Yoshino started the car and the three children climbed in, with Shikamaru sitting shotgun, and Ino and Chouji in the back. The sky outside was lined with clouds and Shikamaru enjoyed the peaceful scenery.

The three of them arrived at school, and Ino and Chouji thanked Yoshino for the ride.

"Have you decided what you want to join, Ino?" Chouji asked as they made their way to Asuma's room.

Ino shook her head. "I think I'll look around some more before deciding. I heard the food club was easy, though."

"It is," said Shikamaru. "Kurenai-sensei is strict in class, but for clubs, she's one of the nicest teachers."

"I think Sakura might join a different club, though," Ino said and Shikamaru sighed.

It was another thing he didn't understand: rivalries. The way Shikamaru thought about it, it was better to do without a rival; it was just less troublesome and certainly less effort.

"You don't have to do everything Sakura does," Chouji said, speaking what was on Shikamaru's mind.

"Yeah, but I can't let her beat me, now can I?" Ino countered.

Shikamaru didn't see how that made sense. "It's just a club, Ino."

Ino gave the two boys an exasperated look. "The two of you wouldn't understand. Well, maybe Chouji would, if food were involved, but Shikamaru, you're just plain lazy."

"It takes too much effort to have a rival."

"You're smart, but you're so unmotivated," Ino continued. "What will you even do in the future? You'll probably land a really impressive job, but then quit within the same day."

Chouji laughed. "That does sound like Shikamaru."

Shikamaru sighed. "That's all in the future. I still have plenty of time to think about it."

Ino snorted. "Right, since when did you think about anything besides during shogi? Isn't it too much effort for you to think?"

Shikamaru gave her an annoyed look. "Thinking  _is_  too much effort, but it's also necessary. Anyways, I said I'd do it in the future, not now."

"Sure, you will," Ino said doubtfully. Shikamaru didn't bother to reply. It was too troublesome.

 

It was second period literature with Kakashi, and Naruto was being as loud as ever as they waited for their teacher to arrive.

"Why is he still late?" Naruto complained. "It's second period, dattebayo!"

Shikamaru shrugged, just as clueless as his friend. "Maybe he doesn't have a first period class?"

"Nah," said Naruto. "I know Sasuke's in first period with Kakashi-sensei. Where does he even go in between classes?"

Naruto's question was answered when Kakashi walked in, pushing a cart stacked with books.

"Good morning, students," Kakashi said, holding up a worn-out book. "We'll be reading  _The Odyssey_  first. Please line up and take a book. Don't forget to bring your ID with you so I can keep track of what book you received. Ah, actually, you there, come over here."

The girl in question got out of her seat and Shikamaru saw it was Shiho, who looked nervous at being called out.

"What's your name?" Kakashi asked.

"S-Shiho."

Kakashi nodded and handed a slip of paper and pen to her. "Well, Shiho, would you mind writing down everyone's ID and book number on here for me?"

Shiho nodded, having no other choice but to agree.

Shikamaru and Naruto got in line with their classmates and soon enough they each held a battered copy of  _The Odyssey_.

Naruto flipped open his book and scowled. "What the heck is this? Does this even qualify as English?"

"I believe it's a poem of some sort," Shikamaru informed him. "And that's a translation. It's not even that hard to read."

"Says you," Naruto pouted. "How do you even pronounce this guy's name? Odd-dee-soos? Odd-dee-see-us?"

"Close," said Shikamaru. "It's oh-dis-ee-us."

Naruto gave him a look. "How do you even know this stuff?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "Maybe if you payed attention occasionally you'd know, too."

The two boys made their way back to their seats and sat down. After every student in his class had received a book, Kakashi thanked Shiho and began the lesson as he talked about the Greeks and some guy named Homer.

 

After second period ended, Shikamaru and Naruto met with the rest of their friends.

"Hey, I've been thinking," Naruto started as the last two members, Kiba and Ino, arrived. "We should hold a birthday party for Shikamaru and Ino! Their birthdays are soon, right?"

"Naruto," Shikamaru said, "My birthday's a month away."

"Yeah, so, soon, right?" Naruto said, nodding his head enthusiastically.

Shikamaru sighed. "Sure."

"But, anyways, we should do one!" Naruto continued. "It can be at my house again, dattebayo!"

Ino copied Shikamaru and sighed. "Naruto, we had one last year. And one the year before that. We have parties every single year for every single person because you insist so, and it often ends up with you getting in trouble."

"Yeah, but they're fun, aren't they?" Naruto said proudly.

"If you count getting yelled by mom later, fun, then yes," Shikamaru muttered. "I still can't believe you accidently drank Jiraiya-san's alcohol and thought it was juice. How did you even manage that?"

"Hey, I thought it was cider, dattebayo!" Naruto argued. "The bottles look exactly the same!"

"No, they don't," Sasuke pointed out. "They have labels on them. Only an idiot like you would mix them up."

"Hey, it was an accident, okay?" Naruto exclaimed. "But, yeah, party at my house!"

"Can't we do something a bit more peaceful this year?" Sakura interrupted.

"We should hold a barbeque," Chouji suggested.

"That doesn't sound too bad," Shikamaru agreed. He was used to barbeques with his family. How bad would one with his friends be?

"Right, and who would buy the meat?" Kiba said. "I'm broke from buying Akamaru so many things last month."

"We could go to a museum," Shino suggested. Everyone turned to look at him.

"A museum?" Naruto said. "That's so boring!"

"What about an amusement park?" Sakura said. "I don't think we've been to one together."

"I don't think Shikamaru enjoys amusement parks," Ino said knowingly. "I think he'd prefer a museum. A shogi museum, in fact."

Shikamaru shrugged. "I'll do whatever you guys want to do."

The bell rang and Naruto postponed his plans. "We'll talk more about this after school, dattebayo. Are you guys in for ramen after school?"

"Naruto, you had ramen yesterday," Sasuke said.

"Yeah, but ramen is good," Naruto said, sounding insulted. "It's always a good time to eat ramen."

Shikamaru sighed and pushed his friend in the direction of the gym. "Come on, Naruto, we'll talk about it later. I hope you brought your P.E. clothes today."

 

Third period passed by successfully with no incidents, save for Naruto accidently kicking Sasuke in the face with the soccer ball. For the entire period, Shikamaru did his best to avoid the two older children of the Kazekage. He couldn't really stay with Naruto since he was running all around the field, trying to get the ball from Sasuke, who was on the opposing team. He wished Chouji, or even Ino, were in this class, but the next best option he had was Hinata, so he talked to Hinata, even though he wasn't super close to her.

Fourth period was math with Asuma, and Asuma was finally starting to teach some calculus stuff, though it was still easy. Shikamaru dozed off again, and fortunately, Asuma didn't throw anything at him. He did assign homework, though, and Shikamaru managed to finish it all in class. Asuma frowned at him, the look in his eyes disapproving but the teacher did not comment.

 

It was finally time for lunch and Shikamaru made his way over to the same spot he went to yesterday, sitting down at the table with his friends, this time without the three Sunagakure siblings. The girls finished lunch and decided it was time for another tour of the clubs, with Chouji tagging along; and Naruto decided it was a good idea to go find Gaara. Sasuke followed Naruto, and Kiba and Shino also left to go find the club they had joined, which was some animal-related club; Shikamaru wasn't too sure. This left Shikamaru by himself at the table and he chose to get up and go to his favorite spot on campus.

Two years ago, when Shikamaru had first started taking math classes at Konoha High, he had stumbled upon a nice spot of grass close by Asuma's room, where the shogi club would meet sometimes. There were several trees there, and Shikamaru had noticed a smaller tree slightly to the side that provided plenty of shade. Upon closer inspection, the boy had noticed he could hide by the base of the tree without anyone seeing him. He had made that place his favorite spot on campus.

Shikamaru made his way over, and, not to his surprise, the shogi club was stationed there. The members spotted their honorary-turned-official member and waved at him. Shikamaru waved back and continued his walk past them until he reached his favorite tree, ready to sit down and spend the rest of lunch gazing at clouds.

However, as he rounded the trunk of the tree, he saw something unexpected: a girl was sitting there, her back leaning against the tree— _his_  tree—with her eyes closed.

Shikamaru rubbed his eyes and looked again, and sure enough she was still there, the girl with the blond hair tied up in four pigtails. There was no way Sabaku no Temari was sitting in his spot.

Temari opened her eyes then, as if she had heard Shikamaru's thoughts. Her eyes swept over the school before finding its way to Shikamaru. She looked at him in surprise and opened her mouth to say something but Shikamaru beat her to it.

"That's my tree," said Shikamaru, saying the first thing that came to his mind.

Temari stared at him in disbelief. " _Your_  tree?"

Shikamaru nodded. "Yeah, that's my tree and you're in my spot."

"I'm not 'in your spot', as you call it," Temari scoffed, "And this isn't your tree."

"But it's where I always sit," Shikamaru said, confused as to why he was insisting it was his, "So it's my tree."

"You don't own this tree."

"But it's my spot," Shikamaru insisted.

Temari rolled her eyes at him. "I can sit anywhere I want."

Shikamaru frowned, unsure of how to proceed. No one ever sat here during lunch, as it was on the edge of campus. Furthermore, the shogi club members were usually nearby and the area was referred to as the "Old People Spot", even though, as Shikamaru constantly argued, shogi wasn't for old people only.

"I usually sit here," Shikamaru repeated. "During lunch, I always come here."

"Well, you don't get to sit here today," Temari said, irritated.

"But that's my tree." Shikamaru said without thinking. He was sure he was going to get killed by the look Temari was shooting him.

"It's  _not your tree_!" Temari snapped. "Is it seriously that inconvenient for you to sit with other people?"

Shikamaru considered her proposition. It certainly wouldn't kill him to sit near her for one lunch period. He shrugged and sat down near the tree, but still far enough away from her. Temari rolled her eyes at him. She certainly was troublesome.


	13. Cloud-Watching

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All characters belong to Kishimoto-san.

**Chapter 13: Cloud-Watching**

Temari followed her two brothers as they got in line for lunch. Kankuro was complaining again, as usual, while Gaara was silent.

“We played soccer on _grass_ ,” Kankuro said, referring to the soccer game they had played during third period. “On grass!”

“That’s not weird, Kankuro,” Temari informed him.

“No, but back in Suna, we played on sand,” Kankuro said.

“Yeah, but that’s because we don’t have enough grass,” Temari reasoned.

“Okay, but what about artificial grass?” Kankuro challenged. “We have those, don’t we? But we still play on sand.”

Temari sighed. “It’s just more convenient to leave everything as is, instead of installing artificial grass everywhere.”

Kankuro shrugged. “Grass is so high maintenance, though. You have to water it all the time.”

“Kankuro,” Temari said patiently. “It rains here, in case you’ve forgotten.”

Kankuro grumbled to himself and grabbed his lunch. Temari did the same, and the three sand siblings headed out of the cafeteria.

“I will go sign up for the fight club,” Gaara announced, speaking up for the first time that day. Temari and Kankuro exchanged glances.

“Okay, Gaara,” Kankuro said hesitantly. “Go ahead. I’ll go check out the arts and crafts club, then.”

Temari frowned but didn’t argue with her younger brothers. She was so used to being with her brothers, or at least Kankuro, all day long that the two of them leaving her alone was something she didn’t know how to respond to. Part of her wanted to follow Kankuro, but she knew she was unlikely to join such a club. Besides, they were in a new school and there were bound to be people here who had no idea of Temari’s identity and heritage. It was time to make some friends.

 

After mulling about the campus for a few minutes, Temari abandoned her attempts at finding a friend and decided to explore the campus. She finally settled on sitting down underneath a tree at the edge of campus. The tree was smaller than the others, but provided adequate shade. There was a nice patch of grass around the area, and, even better, there were few people in sight.

Temari made herself comfortable, leaning against the tree while eating her lunch. There was a slight breeze and Temari watched as a leaf fell off a branch and made its way slowly to the ground. She finished her lunch and closed her eyes, deciding to rest a bit before lunch ended.

Temari was resting peacefully when she sensed a presence staring at her. Normally, she would have ignored it, but this was Konohagakure, and not everyone would stare at her. Curious, she opened her eyes and scanned the area, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. However, as she finished her sweep of the area, her eyes made contact with stunned brown ones—the eyes of Nara Shikamaru.

Temari sat there for a moment, surprised. He had been the last person she would have expected to see. She was about to ask why he wasn’t with Naruto, when he interrupted her.

“That’s my tree,” the lazy boy said suddenly.

Temari stared at him, not believing her ears. _What_ had he just said?

“ _Your_ tree?”

Shikamaru nodded, as if it were obvious. “Yeah, that’s my tree and you’re in my spot.”

Temari was sure he was trying to annoy her. How did he even have the nerve to argue with her, the Kazekage’s daughter?

“I’m not ‘in your spot’, as you call it,” Temari scoffed, “And this isn’t your tree.”

“But it’s where I always sit,” Shikamaru said stubbornly as he continued to stand there, “So it’s my tree.”

“You don’t own this tree,” Temari argued, though she wasn’t sure if he did or did not own it. For all she knew, Shikamaru actually owned the tree. He was the heir to the Nara clan, after all, and had enough money to spare.

“But it’s my spot,” Shikamaru insisted, looking like he was expecting her to move, as if she would move from this spot. Instead of moving, she opted to roll her eyes at him.

“I can sit anywhere I want.” Temari said, just as stubborn.

Shikamaru hesitated, and Temari wondered if he was going to leave. After a moment, he spoke again.

 “I usually sit here. During lunch, I always come here.”

Temari wasn’t sure why he was telling her this; it was already obvious from his previous remarks.

“Well, you don’t get to sit here today,” Temari told him, getting more annoyed by the minute. Why was he making such a big deal out of it? If he wanted to, he could have just sat down. There was more than enough space for the both of them.

“But that’s my tree.” Shikamaru said.

Temari glared at him. He was truly getting on her nerves.

“It’s _not your tree_!” Temari almost yelled at him, but held herself back. “Is it seriously that inconvenient for you to sit with other people?”

Shikamaru looked at her, surprised, as if he had never thought about it. Temari shook her head. She had heard the Nara’s were smart people, but maybe that did not apply to Nara Shikamaru.

Eventually, Shikamaru seemed to have made up his mind, as he accepted her suggestion and sat down. Though, the way he did it—slowly and cautiously as if she would suddenly attack him—made her roll her eyes at him.

“Has no one else ever sat here before?” Temari inquired after he had sat down.

Shikamaru shrugged, looking up at the sky. “Not really. People don’t like to come all the way out here. Besides, this is where the shogi club hangs out.”

“The shogi club?” Temari had heard Kankuro talk about shogi the other day, but she hadn’t been aware there was an actual club for it at Konoha High.

Shikamaru nodded. “Yeah, the shogi club. All we do is play shogi. Or we just hang about, doing nothing. Though, since we’re always here, it’s hard to get new members since freshmen are less likely to stumble upon this place.”

Shikamaru paused, and looked at her. “Though, I guess you managed to find this place.”

Temari wasn’t sure if that was supposed to be a compliment or an insult. “So, you’re in the shogi club?”

“Yeah.”

Temari didn’t think Shikamaru would be a shogi type of person, but then again, he wasn’t exactly an outdoor person, either. He was more likely to be in a sleeping club, not that there was one at Konoha High … that she was aware of, anyways.

“I would’ve thought you’d be too lazy for shogi,” Temari commented.

Shikamaru glanced at her before returning his gaze to the sky. “I like shogi. It’s a good game. It helps to pass the time.”

Temari snorted. “Don’t you have other things to help pass the time? Why shogi?”

Shikamaru frowned at her. “Shogi isn’t a game for old people, you know.”

“I didn’t say it was.”

There was a flash of surprise in his brown eyes before they returned to their usual bored appearance.

“I just like shogi,” Shikamaru explained. “It’s nice to have all the pieces on the board. I get to think my way through it, until my opponent has no moves left, and then it’s checkmate.”

 _Until my opponent has no moves left_. Temari shuddered. It seemed like something Gaara would say, before he cornered one of his assassins and ruthlessly murdered them. Though, the way Shikamaru said it, it was more about the thrill of the game, of being able to outthink your opponent, rather than the excitement of the kill and the sight of blood.

“What do you even do here anyways?” Temari asked.

Shikamaru shrugged. “I like to stare at the clouds.”

“The clouds?” Temari had never heard of such a ridiculous hobby before.

“It’s relaxing,” Shikamaru said defensively. “I like watching the clouds drifting in the sky. Don’t they look so peaceful?”

Temari almost laughed, but she thought it would be rude, especially after Shikamaru had gone out of his way to answer all her questions truthfully. Temari was taken aback by the change in Shikamaru’s attitude, from resentful to almost friendly. Temari supposed Shikamaru wasn’t purposely trying to annoy her, after all.

“I guess they do look peaceful,” Temari said, also looking up at the sky. “It seems kind of aimless, though.”

“Maybe,” Shikamaru admitted. “But at least they’re free. They don’t have to worry about restrictions or anything.”

Shikamaru’s tone implied that he knew what it felt like to be restricted, and Temari was almost curious enough to ask him about it. She herself knew the feeling of being caged in; she was the Kazekage’s only daughter, and so had many rules and expectations as she was growing up.

“The clouds eventually disappear when it rains, though,” Temari countered.

“Everyone dies,” Shikamaru stated. “Even clouds. See, the clouds are kind of like us; they wander around, with no idea where life is taking them, until one day, they disappear forever.”

Temari thought that was a bit morbid, comparing the lifespan of humans to that of clouds. “We’re not clouds, though.”

“No, but we could learn a thing or two from them,” Shikamaru said. “Look how free they are. We should learn to be like them, to be just as relaxed. Everyone always rushes ahead in life, especially people like Naruto, you know? People should take some time to slow down, enjoy life a little. Besides, life will take its course, no matter what we want.”

Temari laughed at his statement. “You really are an old man.”

It was Shikamaru’s turn to look annoyed. However, before he could reply, the bell rang and Temari got up.

“See you later, _old man_.” Temari smirked and made her way to Kurenai’s room for fifth period.

 

“Man, that was boring,” Kankuro said as he and Temari got out of class.

Temari couldn’t really agree with her brother. “That was pretty useful, Kankuro. You wouldn’t learn this otherwise.”

“I don’t _need_ to learn about Konohagakure,” Kankuro whined. “Someone like me only needs to know how to build stuff. Politics and history? That’s _your_ job.”

Temari had to resist the urge to hit him. “You’re going to be so useless in the future.”

“Says you.”

The two siblings shut up as their youngest brother arrived.

“Did you apologize to Rock Lee already?” Temari asked carefully.

Gaara nodded stiffly. “Yes.”

Temari nodded. “Okay, let’s go home, then.”

“Wait, can we stop by the art store first?” Kankuro interrupted. “I want to buy some paint.”

“Is that okay, Gaara?” Temari asked.

Gaara said nothing, and Temari decided to take that as a yes.

“Sure, let’s go.”

Knowing Kankuro, Temari figured he had no idea where the art stores in Konohagakure were, so she took out her phone and searched up the nearest art supply store.

“I hope you brought money,” Temari said as they began their walk.

Kankuro laughed nervously. “Uh, I was hoping you had some, so I could borrow it.”

Temari sighed and handed her money over. Her brother really was useless.

“You better pay that back.”

“Don’t worry,” Kankuro assured her. “I’ll pay all my debts back on Thursday, along with a gift! I’ve been working on it for a while, but I’m sure you’ll like it.”

It took Temari a moment, but then she remembered what day Thursday was: it was her birthday. She had forgotten her birthday was coming up. When she had been younger, Temari had celebrated birthdays with her mother and uncle, and occasionally her father. But after her mother and uncle’s death, the Kazekage had simply forgotten about his children’s birthdays, choosing to focus on his village than on his children.

It then became Baki’s role, even though he wasn’t very good at celebrating birthdays, but he did try his best. Temari reminded herself to thank Baki on Thursday, since he was bound to have some event planned.

 

As Kankuro rummaged through cans of paint, looking for a specific color that only he knew, Temari waited outside the store with Gaara. Temari was sitting on a bench while her younger brother chose to stand behind her, which she found a bit creepy.

Gaara was glaring at nothing in particular, though the passerby did not know that. Many of them hurried along, avoiding his gaze. If Gaara had been a normal younger brother, like Kankuro, Temari reckoned she would have told him to knock it off. But Gaara wasn’t, and he was likely to kill her if she suggested such a thing. It was best to leave Gaara alone.

Temari waited a bit before she grew impatient. Half an hour had passed, and Kankuro was still not out of the store.

“Don’t tell me he went to look at other stuff,” Temari muttered, glaring at the sidewalk and unintentionally doing the same thing Gaara was doing.

She sighed. There was no point in getting angry; Kankuro always got distracted whenever he went shopping, and then he would come out with his hands full of junk that he had not said he would buy.

There was a breeze suddenly, and it felt good on her skin after sitting in the sun for thirty minutes. Involuntarily, Temari looked up at the sky.

“The clouds _are_ nice today,” Temari said aloud. She hadn’t really noticed before, but the clouds were beautiful in the sky, the way they floated so calmly, and shifted with only the slightest breeze. She remembered Shikamaru’s words about people being like clouds, and thought about how people, just like clouds, were easily influenced by the smallest things.

“Did you just say the _clouds_ are nice?”

It was Kankuro. He was finally out of the store, holding two bags filled with paint.

Temari got up, feeling a bit embarrassed. “Yeah, so what if I did?”

Kankuro shrugged. “I didn’t think you’d say that about clouds. That’s just weird. What are you gonna do next, lay on top of a hill of grass and just stare at clouds all day long like they do in movies? Man, that’s so lame.”

“That’s not lame,” Temari disagreed. “Watching clouds can be fun.”

Kankuro rolled his eyes. “Yeah, sure, just like how doing homework can be fun.”

“Hey, it can be relaxing, you know,” Temari asserted. “You could do with some relaxing.”

Kankuro stared at her like she was crazy. “Watching clouds is boring, not relaxing. Since when did you watch clouds, anyways?”

Temari said nothing. She _didn’t_ watch clouds. At least, not until today. Shikamaru really was rubbing off on her.


	14. Choosing a Club, and Possibly an Enemy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All characters belong to Kishimoto-san.

**Chapter 14: Choosing a Club, and Possibly an Enemy**

Yakushi Kabuto was standing a bit too closely near them. Though his words were friendly, his eyes said otherwise as they scrutinized Temari and Sakura’s every move.

Temari and Sakura had paired up together in advanced biology for their lab, which was a rather simple one in which they measured the temperature and pH values of a solution as they added certain chemicals to it. The lab was more about practicing good lab procedures than about actual learning.

Temari was bored out of her mind as she watched the numbers on the digital thermometer rise slowly. Still, she kept a neutral face as Kabuto walked by her lab table for the third time.

“You’re Temari, right?” Kabuto suddenly asked, startling Sakura.

Temari almost rolled her eyes. Yes, she was, who else would she be? She knew just how excellent Kabuto’s memory was, especially having witnessed it herself in homeroom when he had checked attendance without so much as glancing at the attendance sheet.

“Yes, and you are Kabuto,” Temari replied coolly.

Kabuto smiled, adjusting the pH meter. “How are you liking Konohagakure so far, Temari-san?”

“It’s fine,” Temari said, keeping her eyes on her lab experiment. “The weather is colder here than in Sunagakure.”

Kabuto chuckled. “I would expect so. Have you joined a club yet? You know today is the last day to choose?”

“I’m still deciding between a few,” Temari lied. In reality, she hadn’t thought about which club to join yet, though she did know she would not join the clubs her brothers would be in; they had decided it was best to split up.

“If you’re interested in biology,” Kabuto suggested, “I can recommend the Red Cross club.”

Temari thought she would rather beat people up than heal them. “Maybe.”

Kabuto continued smiling, but there was something almost fake about it. He adjusted his glasses. “You guys are doing well. Keep up the good work.”

 

Guy was beaming as he stood in the front of the gym, waiting impatiently as his students filed in. Temari eyed him wearily as she trudged in behind Kankuro, who was still tugging on his P.E. shirt.

“What’s up with him today?” Kankuro asked.

Temari shrugged at him. “Is today a special day or something?”

Her question was answered soon enough as Guy described what they were to do today.

“Alright, kids!” Guy shouted and Kankuro winced, “If you freshmen don’t know, today is the last day to pick your elective clubs! And, if you don’t know already, Kakashi-sensei and I lead the fight club! As today is the last day to pick, and some of you might not have checked out our club already, we’re going to have a little sparring practice today! A little demonstration of what my club has to offer, if you will.”

Temari and Kankuro looked at each other.

“He… wants us to fight?” Kankuro asked, skeptically.

“He has to be joking,” Shikamaru muttered, looking annoyed.

On the other hand, Naruto was looking excited. No doubt he was eager to fight Sasuke.

“Everyone, pair up!” Guy announced. “Lee and I will demonstrate some very basic moves, and then you’ll take turns with your partner, practicing with these wooden dummies here!”

“Is this even safe?” Shikamaru sighed, adding a “This is troublesome” under his breath.

Temari agreed with him. “Don’t we need to sign papers or something?”

Guy waved his hand at her dismissively. “Nonsense! This is perfectly safe! Show me your youth, my students!”

Temari shrugged. She wasn’t worried about getting hurt. Her concern at the moment was who her partner would be. Naruto was already begging Sasuke to be his partner, and there was no way Temari was willing to partner with either of them. She was about to ask Kankuro, but when she turned around, he was already talking with Hyuuga Neji, though Kankuro seemed to be arguing more than talking. Temari had a few options left, and she decided to go with the next familiar person, Shikamaru.

However, as she looked for him, she spotted him talking to the other Hyuuga in their class, Hyuuga Hinata. Temari frowned, but then shrugged it off. Of course, Shikamaru would choose Hyuuga Hinata; the two did have plenty of mutual friends.

This left Temari with the strangers in her class, which she wasn’t too exicted to partner up with. She was saved from choosing when a girl approached her, her brown hair tied up in two neat buns.

“You’re the Kazekage’s daughter, right?” the girl said, “Temari?”

Temari nodded, studying the other girl. She didn’t look like much. “And you are?”

“Tenten,” the girl replied. She offered Temari the knife in her hand. Temari didn’t even question where she got the knife from; she had seen her with Hyuuga Neji often, and assumed Tenten was in the fight club, too.

“I hear the Kazekage’s children already know how to fight,” Tenten continued as she gestured to the wooden dummy in front of them.

Temari smirked, weighing the knife experimentally in her hand. “Of course, we do, and we’re good at it.”

She flung the knife at her target, watching as it made contact directly with the target’s imaginary heart. Tenten only looked slightly impressed.

“Not bad,” Tenten commented. “Your brother doesn’t seem like much, though.”

Temari glanced in Kankuro’s direction. Her brother was currently sparring with Hyuuga Neji. Rock Lee was standing near them, cheering Kankuro on and telling him to beat Hyuuga Neji. Despite Rock Lee’s optimism, Kankuro was losing badly. Temari didn’t really blame him, though; the three siblings were more of long-distance fighters.

“I’m not my brother,” Temari said. She inspected the wooden weapons on the weapons rack, which were being closely guarded by Guy.

“Why don’t we try something else?” Temari asked. She was tired of throwing knives at an unmoving target.

Tenten raised her eyebrows. “Are you suggesting we spar?”

“Unless you’re too scared to do it,” Temari confronted. “After all, you can’t possibly beat me.”

Tenten narrowed her eyes at Temari. “We’ll see about that.”

Tenten had taken the bait and Temari smirked. This was going to be interesting. She hadn’t fought in a couple days, not since she had arrived in Konohagakure, and she was sure she was getting soft. Temari was welcome for the upcoming challenge— _if_ it was going to be a challenge.

Tenten returned from the weapons rack, carrying two long wooden staffs, the same weapons Kankuro and Hyuuga Neji were currently using.

Temari accepted one and swung it around a bit, testing it out. It looked similar to the one Uchiha Sasuke had used before, the one he had nearly used against Kankuro. Temari wasn’t at all surprised Kankuro was losing to Hyuuga Neji; besides the fact that Hyuuga Neji was a genius, the staff was also not one of Kankuro’s stronger skills.

Tenten and Temari entered a sparring ring, which had been previously laid out by an over-enthusiastic Rock Lee. Guy was watching them, ready to interfere if the fight got too intense.

 _Not that it will_ , Temari thought, sizing the other girl up. Tenten looked at ease with the weapon she had chosen, though Temari caught a brief look of uncertainty flash in her eyes. Temari guessed Tenten was normally a long-ranged fighter, just like her; though, of course, Temari would win this match by default since she was obviously the more powerful of the two.

The two girls stood there for a while, before acknowledging each other with a nod and starting the match. From the corner of her eye, Temari noticed that Shikamaru had given up trying to throw knives—though on a second glance, he had _hit_ the target each time—and was watching her match with a bored, disinterested look.

Tenten came at Temari first, swinging the staff in a wide arc. Temari calmly blocked the move, and countered with an attack of her own. In turn, Tenten blocked it with her staff, but must not have expected the force of Temari’s move, for she staggered back a little, surprised by Temari’s strength.

“Surely you didn’t expect the Kazekage’s children to train halfheartedly?” Temari mocked, pushing the other girl backwards.

Tenten gritted her teeth. “Don’t underestimate me. I’ve been training just as long as you have.”

Temari rolled her eyes, dodging as Tenten broke free and attacked her. “You do know I’m older than you, right?”

“I doubt you trained as a baby,” Tenten countered, taking another swing.

Temari blocked it again. “What, did you do that?”

Before Tenten could reply, Temari attacked her, feinting to the right, and then to the left, before sweeping her legs at her opponent, at the spot right behind her knees. Tenten staggered, but didn’t fall completely. Temari was impressed but refused to admit it. She wanted to end this as soon as possible. Before the brown-haired girl could recover, Temari swung her staff down, hard, at her head, stopping right before the wooden staff made contact.

“I think that’s my win,” Temari said, tossing the staff aside. “And I think third period is about to end.”

 

Shikamaru was staring at her; Temari was tired of it. Had he never seen people fight before, or something? As they walked to Asuma’s room for their next class, Shikamaru kept throwing glances her way, looks that were a mix of awe and fear.

“That’s not fair,” Kankuro whined as they entered the classroom. “I was fighting Hyuuga Neji. You know that guy’s impossible to beat!”

“For you, maybe,” Temari said. “It’s a good thing you aren’t targeted as frequently as Gaara; you’d be dead by now.”

Kankuro grunted, plopping himself down onto his chair. “Still, if this were a real fight, he’d be a goner.”

“Yes, since you’d use your robots,” Temari said, knowing just how deadly Kankuro’s handmade machines could be.

“Hey, they’re puppets!” Kankuro protested.

“Puppets with remote controls,” Temari corrected. “Which basically makes them robots.”

“No, it makes them upgraded, modern puppets,” said Kankuro, “But not robots.”

Temari sighed. “Sure.”

“Did you see the Nara kid, though?” Kankuro asked, nodding his head in Shikamaru’s direction as the black-haired boy walked in. “He’s not a bad shot. Also, the look on his face when you beat that girl, whatever her name is, was so funny! Man, it’s like he thought you would lose!”

“I’m getting the feeling the Konoha kids here are underestimating us,” Temari said.

“But not Gaara,” Kankuro said grimly. “No one ever underestimates him.”

“No,” Temari agreed. “No one ever does.”

 

During lunch, Temari split off from her brothers in search of a club to join. Or rather, she went off in search of a certain club. After much debate and thinking, Temari had decided to join the shogi club. It wasn’t a bad club, and certainly did not seem like it would require too much effort on her part. She remembered watching Baki and her father playing shogi occasionally when she was younger, as they discussed plans on how to keep their village safe. She herself had played a few times, though that had been years ago. Still, how bad could she be?

Furthermore, the shogi club was safe from prying eyes; it was a club that drew little attention from the other students—a “boring club”, as Uzumaki Naruto had called it—and, if Shikamaru hadn’t lied to her, the shogi club often held its classes outside, which gave Temari the perfect opportunity to observe the adults on campus.

Of course, most of all, Nara Shikamaru himself was in the club. He was one of Uzumaki Naruto’s closest friends, and would be able to help her get closer to him. That was all there was to it, Temari reasoned. She wasn’t _trying_ to be near Shikamaru; no, she _needed_ Shikamaru so she could stay close to Uzumaki Naruto without raising too many suspicions. That was all there was to it.

 

Temari arrived at the place from yesterday; this time, there was no wind and the leaves were resting peacefully in the trees.

The shogi club members were watching an online chess match on one of their members’ laptops. Their eyes were glued to the screen so much that they didn’t notice when Temari approached them.

She cleared her throat and a few of them spun around, their faces registering surprise at seeing her.

“Is this the shogi club?” she asked politely.

One of the members nodded. “Yeah, it is.” He paused. “Did you want to join it?”

Temari smiled at him. “Yes, please.”

The boy looked flustered and unsure of what to do. “Oh, wow, okay. I didn’t think someone like you would want to join.”

Noticing her curious expression, the boy elaborated. “I mean, uh, I’m in your P.E. class, you know. I saw you fight today. You were pretty good. I thought you were in the fight club, what with the way you beat Tenten.”

Temari shrugged. “Fighting isn’t really my thing.”

“Oh, okay,” the boy grinned. “Glad to have you in the shogi club, though. We don’t get that many members, so it’s always nice to see someone new. Here, just write your name, grade, and student ID number here, and then sign here.”

He handed the paper and a pen to Temari.

“Unlike the fight club, we’re pretty relaxed here. Officially, our classroom is room ten of the math building—that’s Asuma-sensei’s room, by the way—but we like to have classes out here. Asuma-sensei doesn’t really mind. Besides, we share the room with the board game club, and they have way more members. It kind of gets crowded in there.”

Temari signed her name and handed the paper and pen back to him. She was officially in the shogi club.

 

Shikamaru was by the tree again, confirming his claims about it being “his” spot.

“I didn’t know you could throw knives,” Temari remarked as she sat down next to him.

Shikamaru frowned, looking a bit uncomfortable. “You kind of pick up a thing or two when you grow up with someone like Naruto.”

“Oh?” Temari raised an eyebrow at him. “You seemed like a good shot.”

Shikamaru shrugged. “Naruto wants to be Hokage, but he’s not very good, so I went and did some research and ended up practicing and teaching Naruto how to throw knives.”

“You’re a really good friend, aren’t you?” Temari said. She was surprised that Shikamaru would go so far to help Naruto become Hokage… not that it was likely he would obtain the role. Temari had never met someone who was willing to do so much for the sake of friendship. Now that she thought about it, it seemed like Shikamaru was always doing things for Uzumaki Naruto.

“I guess,” Shikamaru said, leaning against the tree and staring at the clouds. Temari mimicked him.

“Though, I did learn a few tricks from my father,” Shikamaru revealed. “He runs a detective agency.”

Shikamaru paused. “You weren’t bad yourself, though. Tenten is supposedly the best female fighter in our school.”

It was Temari’s turn to act nonchalant. “Tenten just wasn’t very good.”

Shikamaru chuckled. “She grew up with Neji and Lee. She’s not ‘average’, you know? But then again, you aren’t, either, Temari-sama.”

Temari rolled her eyes. “Still, I think I’m more suited for relaxed hobbies. Like cloud watching.”

“I thought you didn’t like watching clouds.”

“I changed my mind.”

Shikamaru frowned. He looked like he was thinking, trying to piece a problem together. “Wait, what were you doing over here? Don’t tell me you came here just to see me.”

Temari smirked. “Maybe I did.”

“I don’t think so,” Shikamaru’s expression changed into disbelief as he caught on. “Don’t tell me you signed up for the shogi club.”

“Too bad for you, I guess, because I did,” Temari teased. “You’re stuck with me now, old man.”

Shikamaru sighed. “Mendokusei.”


	15. Those Who Suffer Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who are unaware, this fic is updated at least one a week... except I shall be on vacation soon and may or may not be back until August.   
> All characters belong to Kishimoto-san.

**Chapter 15: Those Who Suffer Together**

Surprisingly, Kakashi was early to homeroom today. He was sitting at his desk as his students slowly trickled in, reading what looked suspiciously like the same book he had been reading for the past few days.

Gaara didn’t mind, though. It had nothing to do with him. He kept his face neutral—or what he assumed was neutral—and automatically sat down at a random desk. Like mindless minions, his siblings sat near him.

It was not long, however, before Uzumaki Naruto showed up in the classroom, breathless.

“Am I late?” Naruto yelled. “I’m not late, am I, dattebayo?”

Kakashi calmly looked up from his book. “You’re still on time, Naruto-kun.”

Naruto stared at him. “Kakashi-sensei? What are you doing here?”

“I’m your homeroom teacher,” Kakashi stated. “Where else would I be?”

Naruto scowled. “You’re always late, though!”

“I was only late twice,” Kakashi reminded him. “Today is the third day.”

Naruto huffed and took a seat directly next to Gaara as the bell rang. He was the only student to do so, as the seats near Gaara were mostly empty.

“Hey, Gaara!” Naruto greeted loudly.

Kakashi sighed as he stood up from his desk. “Naruto, if you would hold your conversations _after_ I finish attendance?”

Naruto made a face at him, and Gaara was only slightly shocked Kakashi did not punish him for such disrespect. It may have been his fourth day in Konohagakure, but Gaara was quickly getting used to the behaviors of the Konohagakure citizens.

After Kakashi finished attendance, Naruto continued where he left off.

“So, Gaara,” Naruto said, “What club did you end up joining? I couldn’t find you yesterday, though I did see Kankuro.”

Kankuro scoffed. “‘See’ is an understatement; more like you ran into me and begged me for Gaara’s location.”

“I did not!” Naruto protested indignantly. “All I did was ask you where Gaara was!”

Kankuro rolled his eyes. “Whatever, man.”

“Anyways, did you join the fight club?” Naruto asked, leaning forward eagerly.

“Yes,” Gaara replied calmly.

“Yeah, that’s right!” Naruto exclaimed, raising his hand up in the air. Gaara stared at it, uncertain of what to do. It looked like Naruto was expecting him to do something.

“No high-five?” Naruto asked, looking disappointed.

Gaara frowned and raised his own hand to meet the other boy’s. It was late, but at least he had done it, and Naruto grinned, returning to his usual cheerful attitude.

“The fight club’s the best,” Naruto announced. “There’s no other club that’s better, dattebayo. I’m glad you joined, Gaara!”

Gaara nodded and looked at his hand in wonder. A day had passed since the incident on the first day of school, and, while most students avoided the youngest son of the Kazekage, Uzumaki Naruto acted like nothing had happened. He was still excited to be Gaara’s friend, even willing to go so far as to _high-five_ him. People did not normally touch the Kazekage’s heir so casually.

“Hey, let’s hang out during lunch,” Naruto suggested. “You should come find me, or I’ll go find you, dattebayo. Where are you during lunch, anyways?”

“I will find you,” Gaara promised. “You will be at the same table?”

Naruto nodded. “Yup. You better come find me, dattebayo! Or else I’ll go find you!”

If any other person had said that, Gaara would have seen it as a threat of some sort. However, this was Uzumaki Naruto, and he was an interesting person indeed.

 

As her students walked into first period, Kurenai had them pull out a slip of paper from a jar.

Naruto stared suspiciously at his paper as he sat down at the front, where his permanent seat was.

Gaara decided to sit next to him, and unfolded his own slip of paper. There was a number: 17. On the board, Gaara noticed a list of paired numbers, with a name next to each pair. Matching his number on the board, Gaara discovered he was with number 24 and “Shimura”.

“Hey, why am I number twenty-two?” Next to Gaara, Naruto was whining about his number as he scrutinized the board. “It says Uchiha! Why am I being grouped with that teme?”

“Chill, Naruto.” It was Inuzuka Kiba, one of Naruto’s friends, and the only other student in Kurenai’s first period class who was forced to sit in the front. “Too bad I’m not number five. Instead, I’m seven. That means I’ve got ‘Uzumaki.’”

Kiba let out a laugh. “Isn’t that your clan, Naruto?”

“Hey, why can’t I be Uzumaki, dattebayo?” Naruto protested. “Why am I Uchiha?”

“Please quiet down, Naruto-kun,” Kurenai said as the bell rang. She gestured to the board and the list on it.

“As you can see, I have paired each of you with another student in this class. The two of you will be researching a Konohagakure clan, as written on the board. As I call you and your pair up to the front, I will be handing each of you a packet that you are to use as the basis of your project.” Kurenai held up one of the packets on her desk as an example. “The project is due in three weeks, on September 12, and you and your partner will be presenting your project the following days after. The order of the presentations is on the board. Any questions?”

Naruto raised his hand and Kurenai wearily called on him. “Yes, Naruto-kun?”

“Can’t I switch with someone else?” Naruto said. “I don’t want to research the Uchiha!”

Kurenai ignored him. “Any other questions that aren’t related to switching topics, partners, or presentation dates?”

When no one else raised their hand, Kurenai continued. “This is supposed to be a simple project, so you don’t need to put too much effort into it. The presentation should be about five to ten minutes long, and must answer all the questions in your packet, which will be turned in on the day of your presentation. You will only have the rest of this week to work on it in class.”

She picked up the first two packets, which Gaara noticed were only a few pages thick, and called out the first pair. “Number one, and thirteen.”

“Hey, what number did you get?” Naruto asked as Kurenai continued calling out pairs.

“Seventeen,” Gaara replied.

“Oh,” Naruto frowned. “Who did I end up with then? Who is number five? Is it Shikamaru?”

It was not long before Naruto found out; Kurenai asked for numbers five and twenty-two, and Naruto jumped out of his seat as he saw who his partner was.

A pale boy with black hair was already standing next to Kurenai, the packet in his hands. Naruto walked up to him.

“ _You’re_ my partner?” Naruto protested. “Aren’t you that one rude kid in my homeroom class?”

Kurenai sighed and handed a packet to Naruto. “Please be polite, Naruto-kun.”

Naruto scowled and accepted his assignment. He grudgingly offered a hand to his new partner. “I’m Uzumaki—”

“Naruto,” the boy replied. “Uzumaki Naruto. I know who you are. I am Sai.”

Naruto’s scowl deepened, displeased that he was interrupted. “Oh, okay. Well, then, Sai, I guess we’re partners for this project, dattebayo.”

Sai smiled as he sat down at a desk near Naruto’s. “Yes, we are.”

Naruto sat down at his desk, still glaring at Sai, who merely smiled. Gaara wondered why Naruto was so friendly to him, but not to Sai.

“Numbers seven and twenty.”

Gaara watched as Inuzuka Kiba stood up, looking around the classroom for his partner, who turned out to be Yamanaka Ino.

“Kiba,” Ino greeted and Kiba shrugged.

“I could do worse for a partner,” Kiba said. He jerked his thumb in Naruto’s direction. “Turns out we have to research this knucklehead’s family.”

Next up was numbers nine and fifteen. Akimichi Chouji was number fifteen, and his partner was some girl Gaara did not know. The two of them were assigned the Sarutobi, which Gaara remembered was the current Hokage’s clan.

Finally, it was Gaara’s turn as Kurenai asked for numbers seventeen and twenty-four.

Gaara got up slowly and approached the teacher’s desk. Someone followed close behind him, at the same slow pace, and Gaara looked to see Nara Shikamaru, who was avoiding his gaze.

The two boys received their packets and took seats near Naruto.

“So,” Shikamaru started, viewing his packet with disinterest. “We’re researching the Shimura clan?”

Gaara nodded and Shikamaru sighed, his head resting on one of his hands.

“Let’s get started.”

 

After history with Kurenai, Gaara had algebra II with Ebisu. Unlike his other classes, Gaara sat in the back for this class. He did so to avoid confrontation with Rock Lee, who always went to his classes filled with more energy than even Naruto. Rock Lee sat in the front of the classroom, to show his willingness to learn—and something Gaara might have mistakenly heard as youth. Haruno Sakura also sat near the front, though keeping a distance from Rock Lee, but for a different reason than Gaara.

Third period was literature with Kakashi, who had his students read out loud from _The Odyssey_. Gaara was sure he pronounced certain names wrong, but no one corrected him. They were most likely afraid to.

They spent the entire period reading from _The Odyssey_ , and Gaara was starting to dislike Odysseus, who was pathetic and could not do much for himself, without having to beg the gods for mercy. The way Gaara saw it, if Odysseus truly wanted to go home, he should have tried harder. It was his own fault for being weak and powerless against Poseidon. Gods? Gods were not real; they were created from and existed purely in man’s imagination.

 

Fourth period P.E. was much more interesting than his previous classes, though Gaara had to be careful not to go too far. The only students in his class willing to partner up with Gaara were Kabuto the senior and Sai, the person Naruto disliked.

To Gaara’s surprise, both boys wanted to spar, and once they got started, Gaara found himself having to use more force than he originally intended.

Gaara almost asked them, _who are you_ , but refrained from doing so. For all Gaara knew, these two boys were also like Rock Lee, and Gaara did not want to cause another scene, which would surely lead to his father scolding him. Gaara had managed to get by the first incident without his father lecturing him, but the boy knew no such luck would happen a second time around.

 

Gaara changed out of his P.E. clothes and automatically went to find his older siblings, who were in line, waiting for lunch. After they all got lunch, Temari excused herself, saying something about joining a club.

Gaara observed his remaining sibling, who was fidgeting in his spot.

“I will go find Uzumaki Naruto,” Gaara declared. “You do not have to accompany me.”

Kankuro let out a sigh of relief, but composed himself. “Oh, yeah, sure, okay. See you after school then, Gaara.”

Gaara nodded, dismissing his brother. It was time to find Naruto.

 

Uzumaki Naruto was sitting by himself at the table, scribbling on what appeared to be his math homework.

“Naruto-kun,” Gaara approached the boy.

Naruto looked up. “Oh, hey, Gaara! You wouldn’t know how to do this, would you? Man, Iruka-sensei assigned me so much yesterday, dattebayo, and all my other friends had stuff to do. Sasuke refuses to help me, too!”

Gaara peered over Naruto’s shoulder. “These two lines are parallel, and this line intersects both, so these angles are all equal.”

Naruto frowned, thinking about Gaara’s explanation. “But what about this angle? Aren’t these lines parallel, too?”

“It doesn’t say so,” Gaara told him. “You shouldn’t assume.”

“Oh.” Naruto went back to his homework. Gaara sat down across from him, waiting patiently as he finished.

“Alright!” Naruto shouted, stuffing his homework mercilessly into his backpack. “You want to go somewhere, dattebayo?”

“Anywhere is fine,” said Gaara.

“Come on, there’s this nice place on campus where we can sit. There’s lots of shade, and, what’s better, it’s not Shikamaru’s hiding spot.”

Gaara had no idea where Shikamaru’s hiding spot was but he did not ask. He followed Naruto and the two of them did not have to go far. Naruto stopped them in front of a door of the literature building, on the opposite side of Kakashi’s room.

 “See, it’s near the office so people don’t really come here,” Naruto said. He grinned mischievously. “There’s an entrance to the rooftop in here.”

 

The two freshmen were sitting on the roof of the literature building, watching cars go by and the students walking down below.

“Is this allowed?” Gaara asked.

Naruto shrugged. “Does it matter? We won’t get caught here. My junior high is right next door, and back then, my friends and I used to come to Konoha High a lot. Some of us, like Shikamaru and Sakura-chan, had classes here, so we all just hung around here during lunch, and we never got caught when we were up here.”

Gaara thought that was a bit risky, but did not challenge Naruto. The two boys sat in silence for a while before Gaara spoke the question that had been on his mind for days now.

“Why do you talk to me, Naruto-kun? You know who I am; I am the Kazekage’s son and heir. Why are you not afraid, why do you not avoid me? Why do you want to _be my friend?_ ”

Naruto looked down below, silent. Finally, he spoke. “You seem lonely.”

Gaara blinked in surprise. Lonely was not a word the Sunagakure citizen would have used to describe himself. “Lonely?”

“Yeah,” Naruto said. “You look like you’ve never had friends. And honestly, I don’t think you have, what with being the Kazekage’s heir and all that. I’ve heard you’re really skilled, which makes people afraid of you, doesn’t it?”

Gaara said nothing; he had no idea how to react to Naruto’s accurate assumptions.

“I was like that, too,” Naruto admitted, and Gaara felt the familiar feeling of dread and anger creep in—but also a new feeling: disappointment. Naruto used to be afraid of him.

“I mean, I used to be targeted a lot, back when I was a kid,” Naruto continued, looking straight ahead. “I don’t know why, but I remember, as a little kid, there used to be masked men coming after me, dattebayo. Ero-sennin, I mean, Jiraiya-san, was always there to protect me, though, so that’s why I’m still here today.”

Gaara’s attention was fixed on Naruto’s words now; this was something he had never heard before.

“Though, actually, it might have been because of him that I was targeted,” Naruto added. “Jiraiya-san _is_ famous, after all. Also, he had loads of money.”

Naruto paused and looked at Gaara. “It stopped after a while, but I’ve never forgotten. The adults here used to avoid me; they still do, actually. And what’s worse, I have no idea why, dattebayo. I don’t know why someone would want to kill me; I don’t know why adults are so afraid of me, even after so many years have passed and nothing has happened.”

Naruto took a shaky breath. “I was lonely, though. Jiraiya-san would leave for a long time, and I’d be left by myself. You know how that feels, don’t you? Being left alone like that, and I was only a little kid, dattebayo! I have no parents, and Jiraiya-san was all I had back then, but _he left me!_ ”

Naruto’s blue eyes fixed on Gaara’s light green ones, eyes that were filled with sorrow and pain, and _understanding_. “What could a kid have possibly done for the world to hate him so? What had I done to make everyone shun me like that, dattebayo? I was so lonely, but Iruka-sensei found me. He took care of me, and eventually, I had Sasuke, and Sakura, and Shikamaru. But you—”

Gaara looked on in bewilderment as something he had not seen for a very long time slowly slid down the other boy’s face: tears. Uzumaki Naruto was crying. For him.

“You had no one. You must have been so lonely, Gaara,” Naruto said, not even bothering to wipe his tears away. “I heard your mother died, and your father is the Kazekage, so he’s probably always busy, dattebayo. You’re right; you _are_ the Kazekage’s son and heir. But doesn’t that just make it worse for you? Don’t people try to kill you, too? I see the kids here; they’re all afraid of you, dattebayo. Man, even your _siblings_ are scared of you! Does that make sense to you? Why would someone’s family be afraid of them? It must have been so hard for you, all this time, with no one by your side, dattebayo.”

Gaara said nothing, staring at the boy he had just met and barely knew, yet who understood him so well.

“You don’t have to be lonely anymore, though,” said Naruto, offering his hand once more. “Because _I’m_ your friend, dattebayo.”

This time, Gaara did not hesitate. He accepted Naruto’s hand and shook it.


	16. The Uchiha Household

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Turns out there's wifi/internet access here....  
> All characters belong to Kishimoto-san.

**Chapter 16: The Uchiha Household**

Naruto was standing by the table near Kakashi’s room, jumping up and down aimlessly. Next to him, Shikamaru was seated at the table along with Chouji, Ino, and Shino. Kiba stood not too far away, leaning against the wall.

“Naruto, please stop,” Kiba said. “You’re giving me a headache.”

“But this will be so cool!” Naruto yelled. “Aren’t you excited to see Sasuke’s house, dattebayo? Man, I bet it’s huge!”

“He’s rich,” Ino pointed out, “So, of course, his house should be huge.”

“He’s a spoiled kid, that’s what he is,” Kiba said. “I’ll bet his room is super fancy, too.”

“If you don’t want to go see his house, then don’t,” Ino said. “Why are you even here anyways?”

“Why are _you_ here?” Kiba retorted. “I mean, come on, when Sasuke invited us, he was clearly asking us boys only.”

Ino rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right, and since when have we ever done anything separately?”

“You just want to see his room,” Kiba said. “What a creep.”

“I’m curious, too,” Chouji put in before an argument between Kiba and Ino could begin. “I mean, Sasuke’s kind of mysterious when it comes to his family.”

“I think the award for most mysterious goes to Shino, though,” Naruto said thoughtfully. “He never talks, dattebayo.”

“That’s mean, Naruto-kun,” Shino said. “I do talk.”

“Yeah, but only occasionally,” said Naruto.

“Sasuke doesn’t talk much, either,” Shikamaru reminded him.

“But I like that about Sasuke-kun,” Ino said. “He’s a man of few words.”

Shikamaru sighed. “I’m a man of few words.”

“But you’re ugly,” Ino stated.

“Thanks, Ino.” Shikamaru wondered why he was still friends with Ino.

“Who are we waiting for, anyways?” Chouji asked.

“Sasuke, Hinata-chan, and Sakura-chan,” Naruto announced. “I also got Sasuke to invite Gaara, but he said he was busy. Something about his sister’s birthday tomorrow, dattebayo.”

From his spot, Shikamaru filed that piece of information away for later, though he wasn’t sure why.

“Oh, look, there he is!” Naruto shouted suddenly, pointing.

In the distance, Sasuke, Sakura, and Hinata were walking towards them.

“Sorry, we’re a bit late,” Sakura said. “We had some questions for Kurenai-sensei about the project.”

“Oh, the project!” Naruto said. “Who did you guys get? I got stuck with this annoying kid named Sai and we’re researching up your clan, Sasuke!”

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at him. “Funny how you’re researching my family, Naruto. It just so happens that I’m researching yours.”

“Wait, what, you also got Uzumaki?” Kiba said.

“We should work together, Sasuke-kun!” Ino said, latching herself onto Sasuke’s arm and receiving glares from Sakura. “I’m partners with Kiba, and we’re researching the same thing!”

Sasuke calmly shook her away. “My partner is that Sunagakure girl. I doubt you would want to work with her.”

“Temari?” Shikamaru asked, sitting up straight. “You’re partners with her?”

“Yes, why?” Sasuke said, and Ino gave Shikamaru a curious look.

Shikamaru shrugged, returning to his slouched position. “Just wondering.”

“You got Gaara’s sister?” Naruto said. “Shikamaru here got Gaara!”

“Who are you researching?” Kiba asked. “Isn’t it scary to work with that kid?”

“Hey, Gaara’s not scary!” Naruto argued, his tone angry. “You just don’t know anything about him, dattebayo!”

“Okay, okay,” Kiba relented. “Chill, man. You don’t need to get so worked up.”

Sasuke cleared his throat. “Let’s get going first.”

“Oh, yeah, right!” Naruto exclaimed. “We’re going to your house today, dattebayo!”

“Yes, we are, dobe,” Sasuke said. He led the way, with Naruto trailing right behind him. The others followed at a slower pace, with Ino and Sakura directly behind Naruto as they tried to get Sasuke’s attention.

“So, who _are_ you researching?” Kiba asked Shikamaru as they walked.

“Shimura,” Shikamari replied.

“You mean like Shimura Danzo?” Shino said. “The Chancellor of Konoha University?”

“Yeah,” said Shikamaru.

“How did he even get that position anyways?” Kiba said, shaking his head. “I heard he’s really weird.”

“He’s a really talented person,” Shikamaru said. “Though I can’t personally vouch for that.”

“What about you, Shino?” Kiba said. “What clan did you get?”

“Nara,” Shino said, looking at Shikamaru. “I got partnered with Shiho.”

Kiba laughed. “I’ll bet all they did were sleep and play shogi. Just write that down on your paper, Shino. ‘Played shogi and slept and watched clouds all day long.’”

Shikamaru sighed, not appreciating Kiba’s humor. “Not all my family members are like me.”

“No, but you’re the only Nara I know,” Kiba said. “That, and your father, who is a lot like you.”

“How about you, Chouji?” Shino asked, redirecting the conversation to their history project.

“Sarutobi clan,” Chouji said. “Asuma-sensei’s clan.”

“And the Hokage’s,” Kiba said. “Man, why couldn’t I pick up some interesting clan? What do Naruto’s family members even do?”

“They p-played a large r-role in th-the past,” Hinata said quietly.

“But come on, Hinata-chan,” Kiba said. “Have his clan members ever been Hokage? No, they haven’t. But see, the Sarutobi, Senju, and Namikaze clans have.”

“So, you only want to research the Hokage’s family?” Chouji asked.

“Uchiha isn’t bad, either,” Kiba amended. “I mean, people like Uchiha Madara were, like, right on par with the First Hokage, right? Or like, why didn’t I get Shino’s clan? The Aburame are cool, aren’t they? Or Chouji’s clan. Or, even better, Hinata’s clan ‘cause the Hyuuga are definitely cool. That’s funny, though, ‘cause Hinata-chan got her own family. Anyways, my point is, I should be researching a cool family, not a lame one.”

“N-Naruto-kun isn’t lame,” Hinata disagreed. “He is v-very hard-w-working.”

Kiba rolled his eyes and grinned. Shikamaru wondered what he had planned next.

“Uzumaki Naruto is never becoming Hokage!” Kiba hollered to the blond boy in front of him. “Because I am!”

Naruto whipped around so fast he nearly fell. “You wish, Kiba! I’m becoming Hokage, not you, dattebayo!”

Shikamaru sighed as a shouting match between Kiba and Naruto started. “I think I’d rather have Sasuke as Hokage at this point.”

 

Sasuke’s home was large. That was the only word Shikamaru could use to describe it. Shikamaru’s own family was wealthy, but they were certainly not as rich as the Uchihas. Besides, the Naras liked to keep their houses simple, choosing to invest in wildlife on their land than in infrastructure.

“No way, is that your house?” Naruto asked, open-mouthed as the group of freshmen stopped in front of the Uchiha property.

“That’s not even a house,” Kiba said. “That’s a _mansion_.”

The Uchiha mansion loomed in front of them. It was three stories high, and spanned the length of about four average houses. Green grass decked the areas around it, with small patches of bushes and trees, and statues of past Uchihas, with Uchiha Madara being the most recognizable. There was a circular driveway in front of the Uchiha mansion, with a small pond and fountain in the middle. The property was sealed off by a fence that was twice their height, with a gate blocking the entrance. A butler was waiting for them, and he bowed as Sasuke approached.

“Welcome back, Sasuke-sama,” the butler said. “Are these your guests?”

Sasuke nodded. “Is Dad out?”

“Yes,” the butler answered. “Fugaku-sama is currently at the police station, and Mikoto-sama is out shopping.”

Sasuke gestured for his friends to enter as the gates swung open.

“Your father warns you not to show them too much,” the butler said. “Fugaku-sama has allowed this one visit, but he will not tolerate a second one.”

“Yes, I know,” Sasuke said. “I’ll just show them around a bit, nothing more.”

“Is there anything you require, Sasuke-sama?”

“No, you may leave.”

The butler bowed again. “As you wish, Sasuke-sama.”

“Dude, my whole family plus our dogs could live here,” Kiba said after the butler left. “Man, the Uchihas are rich.”

Sasuke smirked. “Our clan _is_ one of the oldest. It was the Uchihas and Senjus who built Konohagakure into what it is today.”

“That, and the fact that your father is in charge of the police,” Naruto said. “Can we see the weapons first, dattebayo?”

“Calm down, Naruto,” Shikamaru said. “We haven’t even gotten in yet.”

Naruto pouted but followed Sasuke as he led them into the mansion itself. Unlike the exterior, the interior of the mansion was rather plain. The floor was wooden, and the walls were painted blue, and the doors to the rooms were marked with the sign of the Uchiha clan: a red and white fan.

It was not all that different from any of their other houses, besides the size, and Shikamaru wondered if the Uchihas were like the Naras and preferred to keep it efficient rather than extravagant.

However, unlike Shikamaru’s home, rows of weaponry lined the walls of Sasuke’s home, each locked up in glass cases.

Naruto stopped at an ancient looking sword, gazing up at it in amazement.

“You guys even have _swords_!” Naruto exclaimed. “Those things are so old!”

Sasuke shrugged indifferently. “It’s been in the family for years. Every single weapon we’ve ever used, we keep.”

“What about Uchiha Madara’s fan thingy?” Kiba asked excitedly. “Can we see that?”

Sasuke frowned. “It’s called a gunbai. That’s the only weapon we don’t have. It went missing a few years ago, though we do have gunbai here, but not the original one Uchiha Madara used.”

“Weapons are cool and all,” Sakura interrupted. “But can we move on and see the rest of your place?”

“Like maybe your kitchen,” Ino suggested.

Kiba made a disgusted face. “You mean his room. You guys are a bunch of creeps.”

“What, do you not have a room?” Sakura countered, raising her fist threateningly.

Kiba hastily backed away, putting his hands up. “No, no, that’s not it. I just meant, it’s just a bit weird to see his room first before the rest of the house which is right in front of us.”

“We never said his room,” Sakura said. “You said it, not us.”

“Okay, okay, geez,” Kiba said. “Girls are so dramatic.”

“You can say that again,” Shikamaru muttered, earning himself a smack from Ino.

As Shikamaru rubbed his head painfully, Sasuke led his friends throughout the rest of his house, revealing the various weapons the Uchiha had proudly on display. Naruto fawned over each of them, and despite his dislike of Uchiha Sasuke, Shikamaru had to admit he was impressed. Even the girls looked a bit interested, though Shikamaru could tell Ino and Sakura were more interested in gathering data on Sasuke’s interests.

“Sasuke’s place isn’t bad,” Chouji said as he peered over Shikamaru’s shoulder at a vase. “I still like ours better, though.”

“You make it sound like we live together,” Ino said, standing behind the two boys.

“Don’t we, though?” Shikamaru said. “We end up sleeping in various places all the time. One day I’m in my room, and then the next we’re in Chouji’s.”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean we live together under one roof,” said Ino. “It’s still three separate families.”

Shikamaru sighed. “Why don’t you go back to collecting data on your crush?”

“I wasn’t ‘collecting data’,” Ino protested, though her tone was not convincing. “I was merely observing Sasuke-kun’s house.”

“Yeah, real intensely,” Shikamaru said. “I’ve never seen you so concentrated on anything before.”

“Oh, shut up, Shikamaru. You’re the one who’s the lazy ass.”

Ino paused and smirked. “But hey, what’s up with you and Temari?”

Shikamaru stared at her blankly. “Me and who?”

Ino rolled her eyes. “Don’t act dumb, Shikamaru. I know your IQ is over 200. I heard Asuma-sensei say that.”

“Of course, he did,” Shikamaru said. “It’s like all the adults are trying to annoy me, or something.”

“I thought it was just women,” Chouji said.

“You mean, troublesome women,” Ino corrected. “Which is basically all women, but still, don’t forget the ‘troublesome’ part, since it wouldn’t be Shikamaru otherwise.”

Shikamaru groaned. “Can we not do this right now? We’re kind of in Sasuke’s house.”

“Oh, so outside Sasuke’s house is fine?” Chouji asked. “Do you want to step outside and continue our conversation, then?”

Shikamaru sighed. “Whatever.”

“So,” Ino said, placing herself directly next to Shikamaru. She hooked her arm through his so that he could not escape. “I didn’t know you were so friendly with Sabaku no Temari.”

“I’m not,” Shikamaru said, trying to detach himself. Ino clung on tighter and Chouji moved to Shikamaru’s other side, blocking him from moving in that direction.

“Then why did you look so interested when Sasuke mentioned her?” Ino persisted. “He didn’t even mention her _name_.”

Shikamaru shrugged. “It would be impolite to forget her so soon. I was her guide, after all.”

Ino didn’t look convinced. “I’ve never seen you so interested in anyone besides us before.”

Chouji nodded his head in agreement. “You actually _sat up straight_ when she was mentioned.”

“Look, guys,” Shikamaru said exasperatedly. “You’re imagining it. We’re just friends.”

Ino raised her eyebrows. “Just friends? I thought you said you weren’t friendly with her?”

Shikamaru silently cursed himself. He had buried himself in his own grave. If this had just been Chouji, Chouji would have dismissed it. But no, Ino was also here, and this was Ino, who was extremely interested in everything about him. Including who he talked to, apparently. Shikamaru just talked to Temari; that was all. Besides, she had talked to him first so it would have been rude not to reply—and the fact that she would most likely have killed him for not answering. They were barely friends as it was.

“Friends as in acquaintances,” Shikamaru said, sounding lame even to his own ears. “We just talked a bit here and there.”

“But you were so scared of her before,” Ino said. “And now you’re holding conversations with her? As ‘acquaintances’?”

Shikamaru sighed. “Listen, Ino, there’s nothing going on, so why don’t you just drop it?”

“Okay, fine,” Ino said, reluctantly freeing Shikamaru from her hold. Shikamaru gratefully moved a few inches away from her, but not before he caught the sly smile on her face.

Shikamaru shuddered. She was definitely planning something.


	17. The Shogi Club

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Probably gonna be taking a break from writing for a few weeks... won't be back til August 18 at the latest.  
> All characters belong to Kishimoto-san.

**Chapter 17: The Shogi Club**

Kankuro watched his brother carefully. There was something off about him today, though Kankuro couldn’t figure out what or why.

“Good morning,” Gaara said as he came out of his room. Temari choked on her food while Kankuro stared.

“Uh, good morning, Gaara,” Temari said, after she had recovered.

“Morning,” Kankuro muttered, returning to the task at hand: finishing his breakfast.

“Good morning, Gaara-sama,” Baki said, handing him a plate.

“Thank you.” Gaara accepted it and then paused. Everyone waited for his next actions. He took a seat opposite of Temari.

“Happy birthday, Temari,” Gaara said, sounding rather awkward.

It was Temari’s turn to stare at him. “Oh, uh, thanks?”

Gaara nodded and focused on his breakfast, his eyes glued to the egg he was poking.

Kankuro nudged his sister and mouthed, “What’s up with him today?”

Temari shrugged. “Beats me.”

 

“There’s something going on,” Kankuro determined as he and his sister walked a few paces behind Gaara. “He’s _never_ told you ‘happy birthday’ before. I’m surprised he remembered.”

“Gaara always remembers,” Temari replied matter-of-factly. “He just chooses to not do anything.”

“Okay, but telling you ‘happy birthday’?” Kankuro said. “That’s something new. Maybe he was ordered to.”

Temari scoffed. “Right, since Baki-sensei would obviously do that.”

“Hey, you never know!” Kankuro said. “I mean, you only turn 17 once, right?”

Temari rolled her eyes. “I only turn every age once, Kankuro.”

“Yeah, okay, then explain his behavior this morning!” Kankuro demanded.

“Not so loud!” Temari hissed, jerking her thumb in Gaara’s direction. Kankuro sighed and followed his younger brother into Kakashi’s classroom.

“Okay, but, what do you think Baki-sensei has planned for tonight?” Kankuro said. “I bet it’s dango. Again.”

“I happen to like dango, thank you very much,” Temari retorted.

“Yeah, I know,” said Kankuro. “That’s why we get it every year.”

Temari shrugged. “Nothing wrong with that.”

Kankuro agreed. He watched as Uzumaki Naruto bounded into the classroom and sat down next to Gaara.

“Hey, Gaara, you want to hang out on Friday?” the loud blonde asked.

Gaara gave his head a subtle shake. “I cannot. The Uchihas have invited me to a banquet.”

Naruto’s face fell, and then he frowned. “Wait. Sasuke is having a banquet? And he’s not inviting me, dattebayo?”

The freshman looked around the classroom and spotted the lone Uchiha sitting by the window.

“Sasuke!” Naruto yelled over the classroom, causing Haruno Sakura to shoot him dirty looks. “You didn’t invite me to the banquet!”

Uchiha Sasuke replied with an annoyed look. “That’s because I didn’t do the inviting.”

“Oh,” said Naruto, sitting back down in his seat.

Kankuro rolled his eyes. The kid was so dramatic, causing scenes like that every single day. It was a wonder he still had friends, especially ones like Nara Shikamaru, who seemed the complete opposite.

 

“Hey.”

The voice was one Temari easily recognized by now as she kneeled on the floor during third period. Temari looked up from where she was tying her shoes to see Nara Shikamaru standing there.

“Oh, hey,” Temari said, unsure as to why the Nara was talking to her outside of lunch.

The lazy boy scratched his head, looking slightly uncomfortable. “Happy birthday. I think.”

Temari raised an eyebrow warily. “How do you know my birthday?”

Shikamaru shrugged mysteriously. “I just happen to know it.”

“You mean ‘cause Gaara told me and I told you, dattebayo,” Naruto butt in, slinging an arm across Shikamaru’s shoulder.

Shikamaru gave him a pained look and Temari could’ve sworn his face looked a bit red. “You’re heavy, Naruto. Please get off.”

Naruto grinned and complied. “Come on, Shikamaru! Be on my team for soccer today!”

Shikamaru sighed. “Mendokusei.”

Temari couldn’t help but smirk as Naruto dragged an unwilling Shikamaru away. She looked around at her options. Uchiha Sasuke was already on a team with Naruto and Shikamaru. Hyuuga Neji and Tenten were quick to join them. That left Hyuuga Hinata, Rock Lee, and her brother as the only ones she knew.

“Let’s go against them,” declared Kankuro, his purple-painted face set in a fierce expression that made him look a bit silly. “It’s time for payback.”

Temari sighed. “You’re not _that_ good at soccer, Kankuro. You can’t possibly beat Hyuuga Neji.”

“I won’t know until I try,” Kankuro said. “Besides, Lee here will be on our team; won’t you, Lee?”

Rock Lee nodded rigorously. “Let’s beat Neji with our youth!”

Kankuro joined in, and soon the two of them were making empty promises about beating Hyuuga Neji, who merely scoffed from across the field.

Temari shook her head at the two idiotic boys. She hadn’t known her brother was so close to Rock Lee as to refer to him by his first name alone.

“Would you like to join us?” Temari offered to the other Hyuuga in their class, who was standing to the side, looking around anxiously.

Hyuuga Hinata nodded shyly, and some other boy whose name Temari did not know also joined them, completing their group of five.

The game began, and immediately Hyuuga Neji had the ball, who passed it off to Tenten. Rock Lee was close at her heels and managed to steal the ball. However, Hyuuga Neji was blocking his way, so Rock Lee tried to pass it to Kankuro, who missed, and the ball was caught by an unsuspecting Shikamaru.

Shikamaru stared dumbly at the ball at his feet and Temari took the chance to take the ball from him.

Kicking the ball away from the younger student, Temari advanced to the other side.

“See you later, old man!” Temari called out, to which Shikamaru sighed as he stayed rooted to his spot.

“Shikamaru!” Naruto protested, running up to his friend’s side. “Why didn’t you get the ball, dattebayo?”

Shikamaru gave him an “are-you-serious” look. “Naruto. Since when have I ever actively participated in P.E.?”

“But your grade!” Naruto wailed. “Guy-sensei will dock points off! What will you do if you fail this class, dattebayo?”

Shikamaru shrugged nonchalantly. “Guy-sensei can do whatever he wants. If I fail, I’ll just take it again.”

The ball was now in Hinata’s possession. The younger Hyuuga was surprisingly skilled and Temari watched apprehensively as she was blocked by her cousin.

“Oh, man, this isn’t good,” Kankuro said as he stopped to take a breather. “Hyuuga Neji is too good at this. We’re all dead.”

“Don’t even try to pass me, Hinata-sama,” Hyuuga Neji warned. “You know you can’t do it.”

Kankuro snorted. “Doesn’t stop us from trying, though.”

“Go help her or something,” Temari ordered.

“Nah, she’s got Lee,” Kankuro said confidently. However, as soon as the words left his mouth, Hyuuga Neji kicked the ball away from the younger Hyuuga, deftly passing it to Tenten.

“No, why?” Kankuro yelled, running after Tenten. Rock Lee did the same, but both were too late as Tenten kicked the ball and scored.

“We need a better goalie,” Kankuro muttered angrily.

“Or we need better skills,” Temari countered. “Unless you would like to take that position?”

“Nah, man, I’m good,” Kankuro said, getting ready for the next round.

They played another two games, both of which Hyuuga Neji’s team won.

“This is a disgrace,” Kankuro said as they headed to the locker rooms to change.

“You mean you’re a disgrace,” said Temari.

“I mean, come on, we had five players!” Kankuro continued, ignoring his sister’s comment. “They had four! Shikamaru doesn’t count as one!”

“But they also have Hyuuga Neji, who counts as like five,” said Temari.

“Yeah, but Rock Lee also counts for plenty, doesn’t he?” Kankuro said.

“Well, you count for negative,” Temari said. “That’s why we lost. I mean, how many times did you miss the ball?”

“Hey, that wasn’t my fault!” Kankuro protested. “You were in my way that one time!”

“I was not,” Temari said indignantly as she went to the girl’s side. “You’re just bad at soccer.”

Kankuro mumbled darkly under his breath and headed to his side to change.

 

“Are you just bad at athletics, or are you just lazy?”

Shikamaru opened one eye slowly. Temari was standing in front of his desk, her hands on her hips. Everyone else in Asuma’s fourth period had already left for lunch. Even Temari’s brother Kankuro was nowhere in sight.

Shikamaru sat up and shrugged. “How is that even a question?”

“So, you’re just lazy,” Temari concluded, aimlessly tapping his desk with her fingers.

Shikamaru sighed and got out of his seat. He went to Asuma’s door and opened it. “Ladies first.”

Temari scowled. “Says who?”

“Men hold doors for ladies,” said Shikamaru, who had a vague feeling he had somehow managed to anger her again. “And, so, as a man, I should let you go first.”

Temari stood her ground, crossing her arms. “That makes no sense. Why don’t _you_ go first?”

Shikamaru sighed but didn’t budge either. “What a drag.”

The two of them stood there for a few minutes, each just as stubborn as the other, until Asuma walked over.

“Is there a problem?” Asuma asked, sensing the tense atmosphere, but unsure of the cause. Shikamaru was usually the laid-back type of person, and Temari seemed like a disciplined young lady who would not cause trouble.

Shikamaru cleared his throat, his dark eyes still trained on Temari. “No.”

“Are you sure?” Asuma asked hesitantly as his two students continued to stand there.

The younger male let out a sigh. “Yeah, I’m sure.”

Shikamaru decided he couldn’t keep up the staring contest, especially against an opponent like Temari.

“I give up,” Shikamaru muttered, more to himself than to the people around him, but Temari heard. She smirked and put a hand on the door.

“You first,” she said, leaning casually against the door and holding it open for the boy across from her.

Shikamaru let out another sigh and walked out. Temari followed him, leaving a very confused Asuma behind.

“You know, for someone as lazy as you,” said Temari as they unwittingly followed the path to their tree, “You sure are a real gentleman, aren’t you?”

“It’s just the way it is,” Shikamaru said. “Men shouldn’t fight women, and they should always let them go first.”

“You’re not much of a man, though, are you?” Temari remarked. “I mean, look at you; you’re always so lazy and unmotivated.”

“I might not be much,” said Shikamaru, “But I still am one, even if a lazy one.”

Temari rolled her eyes. “Yeah, sure.”

 

Temari walked into the now familiar classroom of Asuma’s. The room was filled with students she didn’t know, and she noticed a faint distinction between two sides of the room. On one side, there were a few boys with chess and shogi sets, who were playing against each other while others watched. The other side of the room consisted of a more balanced out ratio of boys and girls, with far more numbers than the previous side. Temari spotted Shikamaru’s pineapple hair sticking out from the far side of the room, where he was playing a match against the boy who had helped Temari sign up for the shogi club yesterday.

Temari started to make her way over to them, but was stopped by Asuma.

“Ah, Temari-san,” Asuma said. “Shogi club, correct?”

Temari nodded, not too pleased at being stopped.

Asuma looked down at the paper he was holding and checked off her name.

“You’re good to go now,” Asuma said. “The shogi club is on that side, if you haven’t figured out already. I don’t really care what you do in here; just try not to create too much noise, especially if you choose to go outside.”

Temari nodded again, waiting impatiently for Asuma to talk to his next victim.

“Oh, Temari,” Shikamaru said as she arrived. His eyes were fixed intently on the chess board in front of him and Temari wondered how he knew it was her.

For a moment, Temari considered not replying, just to see how Shikamaru would react to knowing he had called out to the wrong person.

“Take a seat,” Shikamaru said before she could say anything, gesturing to the empty chair next to him.

Temari reckoned she might as well. She pulled out the chair and sat down, watching as Shikamaru declared “check” against his opponent.

The boy opposite him frowned, moving his white rook. Shikamaru calmly moved his black knight, to which his opponent countered by moving his white bishop. Temari watched, unfamiliar with the rules and gameplay of chess. She had thought this was a shogi club, so why were they playing chess?

“We play all manners of chess here,” Shikamaru said, as if he had heard Temari’s thoughts. Temari thought it was rather creepy.

“Like, western chess, shogi, xiangqi, and janggi,” Shikamaru continued as he moved his black knight again. “But obviously most of us here are more familiar with shogi, so we just call it the shogi club.”

“But you know all of them?” Temari guessed.

Shikamaru smirked. “Most of them, yup.”

He moved his black knight again and leaned back against his chair triumphantly. “Checkmate.”

His opponent stared at the board and then groaned. “Already, Shikamaru? I thought I was getting better!”

Shikamaru shrugged. “You are. I’m just using better moves against you now.”

The boy smiled, accepting defeat. “Alright, Nara. I’ll see you tomorrow. I’ll go watch the game over there, and you can help get our newest member started.”

“So,” Shikamaru said as the boy left, “Ever played shogi before?”

“A bit,” Temari admitted. “But that was a few years ago. I’m not too sure what I remember.”

Shikamaru nodded. “Okay. Do you want to head outside then? There’s too many people in here.”

Temari approved and Shikamaru went up to Asuma’s desk, asking him something. The teacher gave a nod and Shikamaru came back, hauling a shogi board—though it was more of a box—and a bag filled with what Temari presumed were the shogi pieces.

“Need help?” Temari asked.

“No.” Shikamaru said, even as the board started slipping.

“Don’t tell me this is more of your man versus woman thing,” said Temari, watching as Shikamaru struggled to open the door while holding the shogi board and bag.

“No, it’s not,” Shikamaru insisted, still trying to open the door.

Temari winced as the door swung shut, painfully slamming into Shikamaru’s foot, who let out a loud “mendokusei”. It occurred to Temari that maybe Shikamaru was not the type to cuss.

“Are you _sure_ you don’t need help?” Temari asked again.

This time, Shikamaru relented. “Maybe a little would be nice.”

“Some man you are,” Temari teased as she held the door open. “You can’t even handle a simple shogi board.”

“It’s heavy,” Shikamaru grunted. “It’s made of wood, in case you haven’t noticed.”

“Or you could have chosen a paper board,” Temari said. “You know, like the other sane people.”

“Shogi shouldn’t be played on paper,” Shikamaru criticized. “It should be played on a proper board.”

“You really are an old man,” Temari declared.

Shikamaru shrugged to the best of his abilities while holding the board. They made their way to their tree, where Shikamaru finally set the board gently onto the grass.

“Okay, so, let’s start with the pieces,” Shikamaru said, dumping the bag’s contents onto the board. He picked up two pieces and displayed them to the girl sitting opposite him.

“These are the king,” Shikamaru said. “Osho and Gyokusho. They move one space in all directions. Only the king pieces have different characters. The other pieces are the same regardless of what side it’s on, and is only distinguishable by what direction it’s facing. For example, if I place this piece here, then this is mine; and if I place it there, it’s yours.”

Shikamaru set the king pieces down in their proper positions before picking up the next pieces.

“Gold and silver generals, Kinsho and Ginsho. Kinsho moves the same as the Osho, except it can’t move backwards diagonally. Ginsho moves one diagonally and also one forward.”

Shikamaru paused at the next one as he held it fondly in his hands.

“This is the knight, Keima,” said Shikamaru. There was something like pride in his voice as he showed it to Temari.

“It moves in this L-shape here, but only forwards,” Shikamaru revealed, and then added in a softer tone, “It’s my favorite piece.”

“Why’s that?” Temari asked curiously. She would have thought his favorite piece would be one that had more options available.

Shikamaru’s face flushed with embarrassment, his eyes avoiding Temari’s as he stared down at the other Keima piece in his hand. “Uh, actually, it’s because Asuma-sensei says I’m like the knight.”

Shikamaru expected the ruthless Sunagakure girl to laugh at him, but she merely smiled, as if understanding him.

“You’re really close to him, aren’t you?” Temari said.

Shikamaru nodded, looking self-conscious at having shared personal information with a girl he barely knew.

“He’s like a second father to me,” Shikamaru confessed. “He’s taught me a lot.”

“I know that feeling,” Temari concurred, feeling just as flustered as Shikamaru. “Baki-sensei is like that to me. He was there for a lot of things when my father wasn’t.”

“Is your father busy a lot?” Shikamaru asked, knowing he was probably entering dangerous territory.

Temari didn’t seem to mind as she replied coolly, “He’s the Kazekage. He’s usually busy.”

“My father is busy sometimes, too. Though not as much as yours,” Shikamaru hastily added, not wanting to sound like he was whining. “But he does get pretty busy and I don’t see a lot of him. But we like to play shogi together. He was the one who taught me, though I’m no good against him.”

“I thought you were the best at shogi?” Temari said, recalling Kankuro talking about it before.

“Yeah, I guess,” said Shikamaru, placing the remaining Keima piece down on the board. “But my father’s smarter than me. I’ve never beaten him.”

“Still, at least you’ve played with your father,” Temari said wistfully. “I don’t even get to see my father.”

There was an awkward pause as Shikamaru didn’t know if he should say anything comforting or not. He eventually settled on saying nothing and cleared his throat, fumbling for the next shogi piece. “Anyways, we should get back to shogi.”

Temari couldn’t have agreed more.


	18. You Can't Fight Without a Form

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I'm back from my break! Hopefully I can get a double update next Wednesday just in time for Temari's actual birthday!  
> All characters belong to Kishimoto-san.

**Chapter 18: You Can't Fight Without a Form**

Gaara stood in front of Konoha High’s massive gym, watching as the flow of students entering diminished, until he was the only member of the fight club left outside.

He wasn’t normally nervous about being with other people—hell, he barely cared about their opinions of him as it was—but for some reason today, Gaara hesitated.

“Oh, Gaara!” the voice of Uzumaki Naruto resounded from the gym and the owner of the voice came out, a widespread grin on his face.

“Glad to see you here, dattebayo!” Naruto said, skidding to a halt a bit too instantly as momentum propelled him forward.

“Same to you,” Gaara said, putting a hand out just in time to stop Naruto from completely falling over.

“Thanks,” Naruto said sheepishly as he composed himself. “Anyways, come on, let’s go join Kakashi-sensei’s group! They split us up into two groups every week, and both Kakashi-sensei and Guy-sensei teach something different, and then we switch off after that.”

Gaara nodded, allowing the other boy to tow him in. It seemed to him that the freshmen of Konoha High already knew everything there was to know about their new school.

Uchiha Sasuke was standing apart from the group of students crowded around Kakashi, eyes half closed in indifference. As Naruto and Gaara came in, his eyes shifted in their direction, watching with keen interest. Gaara returned Sasuke’s stare defiantly, daring the other boy to make a move first as he noticed the displeasure in the Uchiha’s eyes.

“Sabaku no Gaara,” Uchiha Sasuke said, not breaking eye contact.

“Uchiha Sasuke,” Gaara replied, just as coolly.

Naruto frowned, looking back and forth between his two friends, unsure of what was going on.

The two students were interrupted from their staring contest by Kakashi himself, who had stopped right between them.

“I hope there’s no problem here,” Kakashi said, his free hand straying casually to his waistline, where Gaara knew the ANBU’s gun was hidden. Kakashi was looking both students in the eye, but Gaara could tell that Kakashi was more specifically asking him than Uchiha Sasuke.

“No, sir,” Gaara spoke first, and Uchiha Sasuke was quick to agree.

Kakashi nodded to himself and proceeded to check through the rest of his students, his clipboard ready to mark anything unusual down.

Naruto laughed nervously, unsure of how to break the tension. Fortunately, he was saved from saying anything by Hyuuga Neji, who was acting as one of Kakashi’s assistant.

Hyuuga Neji stood in front of Kakashi’s group, his eyes wandering slowly from member to member, silently judging them with his pale, blank eyes.

“We’ll be learning the staff for the remainder of this week,” Hyuuga Neji announced, “As well as for next week, since most of you have encountered it before, whether in the freshmen P.E. class, or as a veteran member of this club. We’ll be splitting into two different sections: the beginner and the advanced; and it’ll be up to you to decide which one to join. Those who wish to be in the beginner section will be on my left, and those who wish to be in the advanced section will be on my right.”

Hyuuga Neji waited until the members of Kakashi’s group sorted themselves into the appropriate categories before he continued relaying instructions.

“Before we begin, each one of you will have to sign a consent form,” Hyugga Neji said. “It will be due tomorrow, and must be signed by both yourself and a parent or guardian.”

Naruto raised a hand. “What if you don’t turn it in tomorrow, dattebayo?”

“Then you’ll have to sit out and observe until you do get it signed,” responded Hyuuga Neji.

Naruto nodded, seeming satisfied until his hand shot up in the air again. “What if you’re eighteen, dattebayo?”

“You’re not eighteen,” Hyuuga Neji stated. “But for those of you who are, then you don’t need a parent or guardian signature.”

“What if your parent or guardian isn’t here right now, dattebayo?”

It was Naruto again, and Hyuuga Neji answered impatiently, his mouth curved down slightly in the beginnings of a frown. “Then you’ll have to wait to turn your consent form in.”

“Okay, but what if my guardian doesn’t return throughout the entire year, dattebayo?” Naruto asked again, and Hyuuga Neji looked as if he were about to throw something at him, or maybe smack him on the head with his staff.

“Then you’ll have to talk to me about it,” Kakashi said, finishing his rounds and taking his rightful place next to Hyuuga Neji. “But for you, Naruto, you can just have Iruka sign it.”

“Oh, I can?” Naruto asked, and Hyuuga Neji scoffed.

“Yes, he just said you can,” the young Hyuuga said, and then added under his breath, “It’s like you’re deaf or something.”

The words did not go unnoticed by his teacher, who gave him a moderate warning, “Don’t be rude, Neji.”

Hyuuga Neji shrugged and began passing out the forms, shoving one none too gently in Naruto’s hands.

“Ero-sennin is never back, dattebayo,” Naruto whined. “Good thing I can have Iruka-sensei sign this, or else I’d never be allowed to do anything, dattebayo!”

“You ask too many questions, dobe,” Uchiha Sasuke said, checking his form out.

Gaara did the same, processing the words rapidly, the way he had been taught to do by his father. There were three sections to the form. The first were the basic school rules and cautions about proper behavior and arriving on time. The second section contained the grading criteria—grades were determined mostly by attendance, followed next by written exams and participation—which Gaara mostly ignored. The last section was the most important one: there were warnings about possible wounds and permanent injuries, and reminders to always follow the directions and to use only assigned equipment.

“Man, this is a lot to read,” Naruto complained, squinting at his paper. Uchiha Sasuke rolled his eyes and summarized it aloud.

After a couple more minutes of Hyuuga Neji standing condescendingly and Kakashi listlessly teaching the very basics of the staff, the new members were let loose to swing the staffs around at a target, while the veterans and a few select others who already knew martial arts lightly sparred with each other.

Gaara was among the ones who already knew martial arts and he stood awkwardly to the side, the dark circles around his eyes and his scowling expression scaring off any would-be opponents. There were only two people Gaara surmised would be willing to spar with him, and the first was Uchiha Sasuke.

Gaara remembered how easily Uchiha Sasuke had held the staff the first time they had met; the way the blue-haired boy had single-handedly threatened Kankuro; how his dark, calculating eyes had recognized Gaara as a like-minded warrior as the two had sized each other up. Uchiha Sasuke was a worthy opponent for the Kazekage’s heir.

The other option was Uzumaki Naruto, who Gaara did not want to admit he was growing somewhat close to. Though Naruto was no seasoned fighter, Gaara knew it would be enjoyable and refreshing to spar with his new friend.

However, the only problem was, Naruto had already somehow gotten the unsociable Uchiha Sasuke to teach him some complex moves. They were standing a few feet away from Gaara, with Naruto clumsily striking at Uchiha Sasuke, who smoothly avoided all the attempts.

 Gaara studied Naruto as he fought what was clearly a losing battle. The Konoha Inc. heir rose again and again as he was knocked down, each time with a seemingly endless cheerful attitude. He complained loudly about how annoying Uchiha Sasuke was, and how Sasuke was cheating, but he never once complained about how hard it was, nor did he give up. Gaara watched in half wonder, half awe as Naruto got up again, pointing his staff right at Uchiha Sasuke’s heart.

“One more time, dattebayo!” Naruto shouted, his shoulders heaving up and down from exhaustion. He was the only student in the club who looked like he had been run down by a tornado.

“Aren’t you tired?” Uchiha Sasuke asked, his staff already at rest by his side.

“Nope!” Naruto declared, pumping his staff up in the air. “Let’s go again!”

Uchiha Sasuke sighed and sat down on the bleachers, waving his staff dismissively at his childhood friend. “You need to rest.”

Naruto pouted but then acquiesced. “Fine, dattebayo.”

He went to the fountain at the boundary of the gym and took a long drink, conveniently splashing himself with water and leaving little droplets of his sweat on the floor, which earned him a disgusted rebuke from the nearby janitor.

After cooling himself off and apologizing to the janitor, Naruto pranced back in; only, he did so without the grace of a deer. Gaara made to catch him, but he was beat by Uchiha Sasuke, who had anticipated such a blunder from Naruto. Uchiha Sasuke’s staff jerked out from its dormant state, trapping Naruto in an upright position.

“Calm down,” Uchiha Sasuke said, returning his staff to its initial location as gravity ceased forcing Naruto down. “The fight club isn’t going anywhere. You always have tomorrow. And the days after that.”

“Right,” said Naruto, guiltily rubbing the back of his neck. He patted Uchiha Sasuke on the back. “Don’t worry. I’m not _always_ hyper, you know?”

Uchiha Sasuke did not look convinced but he let the other boy go. Gaara saw the opportunity to ask Naruto to spar with him, and he reached a hand out to stop Naruto, but his attempts at approaching the Uzumaki were thwarted once again.

“Neji! Come fight me!” Naruto yelled at the top of his lungs, his voice carrying throughout the entire gym, gathering even the eyes of Guy’s members.

There was the feeling Gaara was used to again: disappointment. Only, this time, Gaara couldn’t pinpoint why he was disappointed. It was as if Gaara couldn’t understand himself today. He watched as Hyuuga Neji regarded Naruto with mocking eyes, but Naruto was undaunted.

“You can’t beat me,” Hyuuga Neji stated, looking up from where he had been teaching a freshman how to hold the staff.

“You don’t know that!” Naruto argued, aiming his fist at the other boy in a vow of victory.

“Either way, I don’t have time for you,” Hyuuga Neji said, returning to his teaching.

“Hey, don’t ignore me, dattebayo!” Naruto said.

“I said ‘light sparring’, Naruto,” Kakashi said, appearing out of nowhere. “You don’t look like you’ve been sparring lightly. Why don’t you take a break and watch the others for a while?”

Naruto pouted. “I haven’t been sparring for long! Anyways, I have to beat Neji, dattebayo!”

“Naruto, you have nothing you need to prove,” Uchiha Sasuke said, agreeing with Kakashi. “You can fight him any other time.”

“Also, you don’t have your consent form filled out yet,” Kakashi reminded, briefly patting the hyper boy on the shoulder. “Take a break.”

Naruto opened his mouth to argue, but Kakashi interrupted him. “That was not a suggestion.”

Naruto scowled and sat down on the bleachers, his arms crossed. Now that Naruto was no longer available again, Gaara was back to his aimless wanderings, which wasn’t exactly a good thing. After witnessing Uchiha Sasuke fight, Gaara was more determined than ever to fight him. He could feel the blood rushing to his head, adrenaline flowing through his body until it overwhelmed him.

Gaara’s hands twitched, itching to get violent. He wanted to fight someone badly. No, he _needed_ to fight someone.

 _That’s right, boy. Everyone hates you._ It was Shukaku’s chilling voice pounding in Gaara’s ears, once again reminding the fourteen-year-old whose mercy he was at. _You’re not a person; you’re a weapon. And weapons are designed to kill, aren’t they?_

This time, Gaara completely agreed with his captor. All he could see in front of him was Uchiha Sasuke. The Uchiha’s well-fit body exposed his athletic capabilities as he swung the staff expertly in his hands, his eyes trained on all the minor movements around him. Gaara imagined himself crushing Uchiha Sasuke with his staff, watching as the wood indented itself on his skull and blood wafted through the air.

“Sabaku no Gaara,” Uchiha Sasuke said, and suddenly the boy himself was before Gaara.

Gaara stopped his fantasizing. “Uchiha Sasuke.”

Uchiha Sasuke raised his staff up a few degrees, unafraid to face the brutal youngest son of the Kazekage. “You and me tomorrow.”

Gaara needed no other invitation.

“Of course,” Gaara said, a slow smile marking his face as he anticipated the upcoming victory.

 

“Yeah, ‘cause apparently, I need a consent form to do stuff, dattebayo!” Naruto grumbled to his friends.

Gaara followed quietly behind them, his previous bloodlust buried for now.

“I mean, it’s not like Neji was going to kill me,” Naruto continued. “Was he?”

“Hyuuga Neji might have,” Kiba mused. “He seems to dislike people like us.”

“People like us?” Ino questioned.

“You know, people who _aren’t_ talented prodigies like himself,” said Kiba. “His attitude sucks in general.”

“Also, where _is_ Shikamaru?” Kiba added as the group arrived at Asuma’s room only to discover their Nara friend was not in there. “Did he ditch school again?”

“He was here during lunch,” Chouji said. “Besides, he would never miss the one class he actually enjoys.”

“He’s at his tree,” Ino supplied. “You know, that one tree he likes to hide out under. He thinks he can’t be seen from behind, but honestly his hair sticks out when he moves his head.”

“So much for the Nara genius,” Kiba laughed. “He’s probably asleep under the tree.”

Contrary to Kiba’s words, Shikamaru was not asleep. Instead, he was engaged in a game with Gaara’s only sister, while Gaara’s other sibling was leaning against the tree looking restless.

“Come on, Shikamaru,” Ino said, shaking her finger at him. “It’s already been five minutes past the bell. Why are you still here?”

Shikamaru moved a piece on the board and shrugged. “Does it matter? Do we have any plans after school?”

“Actually, we do,” Ino confirmed. “In case you forgot, you lost the bet the other day, so we’re going to your house to play video games.”

“Plus, dango before that,” Chouji added.

“I wanted ramen,” Naruto lamented.

“Anyways, hurry and get your ass up,” Ino said. “Your board isn’t going anywhere.”

“It’s Asuma’s board,” said Shikamaru.

Ino rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean.”

Shikamaru shrugged and got up. Temari helped him clean up and Shikamaru took hold of the board and made the journey back to Asuma’s room. Thankfully, the door was propped open this time, so Shikamaru had no trouble getting in.

“Oh, by the way,” Ino said as soon as Shikamaru was out of earshot. “Happy birthday, Temari! I heard it was your birthday today.”

“Let me guess,” Temari deadpanned. “Shikamaru?”

“Naruto, actually,” corrected Ino.

“Oh. Well, thanks, I guess,” Temari said, unused to receiving so many “Happy birthdays” in a day.

“You know, you should come, too, Temari!” Ino said, giving the older girl a warm smile, which Temari saw through right away. What did Ino have planned?

“Go where?” Temari asked suspiciously.

“We’re going to get dango and sweets and then go play video games, dattebayo!” Naruto said. “Gaara’s invited! And he’s definitely coming, right, Gaara?”

Gaara’s expression said he had agreed to no such thing. “Today is Temari’s birthday. I shouldn’t go off on my own.”

“But it’ll be fine if she comes too, right?” Naruto said, finding the loophole right away. “And Kankuro is also invited! We can all have fun together, dattebayo!”

“Who is invited?” Shikamaru asked, returned from his mission.

“Gaara and his siblings!” Naruto said. “They’re coming with us today!”

“Wait, we didn’t agree yet,” Kankuro protested but Temari stopped him.

“Yeah, we’ll go,” Temari said. She had nothing to do back at the hotel anyways, other than possibly homework. Though there was the tiny problem of money since Temari hadn’t thought to bring extra cash to school, but she knew Kankuro was paying his debts today so he would most likely have the money. “Besides, I like dango.”


	19. Dango and Video Games

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy birthday, Temari! Fortunately, I made it in time for a double update! Though I'll be posting the second chapter a few hours later  
> This chapter is the longest by far (about 4000 words) and I had lots of fun writing this, so I hope you'll enjoy it!  
> Also, I don't even think Ichiraku sells drinks but I don't think I noticed that when I wrote Ino drinking her smoothie back in chapter 10…rip too late to go back now.  
> All characters belong to Kishimoto-san.

**Chapter 19: Dango and Video Games**

There was only one problem with the plan, Temari soon discovered. Naruto and his idiot friends had failed to mention one thing—they were going to go play video games at _Shikamaru’s house_. It was too late to turn back, though, as Temari and her brothers tagged along, already arriving at a shabby looking booth situated near Naruto’s favorite ramen place (which turned out to be another shabby looking booth titled “Ramen Ichiraku”).

The mob known as Naruto and friends sat themselves down at the largest round table there, and Kankuro glanced around skeptically.

“What kind of rundown place is this?” Kankuro asked, pulling out a chair opposite of his history project partner, Hyuuga Hinata. Temari took a seat between her brother and Sakura.

“It looks rundown, but the snacks here are good,” said Shikamaru, who was sitting next to Hinata. “Also, it’s cheap.”

“I guess money would be a problem for you guys,” Kankuro muttered to himself.

Gaara heard him as he sat down between Kankuro and Naruto. “Don’t be rude, Kankuro.”

Kankuro shrugged as if he didn’t care, but on the inside, he was hoping Gaara wouldn’t kill him. There was no telling how Gaara would react, and it was already weird enough that Gaara had cared enough about Kankuro’s remark to comment on it.

A waiter handed out menus and Temari looked at hers.

“Just how much money did you bring, Kankuro?” Temari asked, checking over the prices as she aimlessly took a straw from the container in the middle of the table and played with it.

“Plenty,” Kankuro said. “I have enough to pay for whatever you want. But seriously, why can’t Father just let us have credit cards? He thinks we’ll recklessly spend or something, but I mean, come on, we get what we want on our birthdays and for Christmas, so does it really matter? And anyways, he’d kill us if we bought anything he would disapprove of.”

“Anyways,” Kankuro continued, flipping to the back of the menu. “What’s good here?”

“The anmitsu here is really good,” said Chouji, who was the expert on all types of food. “Though if you want something hot, there’s the takoyaki and imagawayaki.”

“Personally, I like the kakigori over the anmitsu,” Kiba said. “More ice, and less stuff.”

“That’s a matter of personal preference,” Shino said.

“I’d still rather have ramen, dattebayo,” Naruto reminded everyone.

“We already ate ramen this week,” Ino said exasperatedly. “It’s _twice_ a week only, remember? And wouldn’t you rather save your second one for the weekend?”

“Okay, yeah, but you didn’t even eat the ramen the first time!” Naruto said.

“Same thing,” Ino said dismissively before changing the subject. “Are the rest of you ready to order?”

There was a round of nods from everyone but Shikamaru, who seemed to have fallen asleep with his head on the table.

“Is he ordering anything?” Temari asked curiously, gesturing to the sleeping boy with her straw. Ino gave her a sly, knowing look, which Temari did not understand, and answered the question.

“He’s getting his usual,” Ino said. “In other words, whatever we order for him.”

“Sometimes we order weird things,” Chouji added. “Just to see how they taste.”

“And you make him eat it?” Temari asked, stunned at their behavior. If she had tried it with any of her brothers, she would either been killed or have found some of her items missing the next day. Essentially to say, _no one_ messed with the sand siblings. Including the siblings themselves.

Ino shrugged carelessly. “It’s not like we order anything he wouldn’t actually like, or anything that would kill him.”

“So, what are you getting him this time?” Kankuro asked, intrigued.

“Let’s get him a crepe,” Naruto said. “Like one of those weird flavors.”

“Oh, let’s get him one with tuna,” Kiba said. “He likes fish, doesn’t he?”

“He likes mackerel, not tuna,” Chouji said.

“Same thing,” Kiba said. “I mean, he doesn’t dislike tuna, right? And maybe we could add spinach.”

Kankuro made a face, all interest instantly gone. “Gross.”

“No one is asking you to eat it,” Temari said.

“Anyways, if we’re all done, let’s order now,” Sakura said, waving the waiter over.

The waiter arrived and Sakura was the first to order. “I’ll have the anmitsu.”

“Same,” Ino said, glaring at her rival.

The waiter appeared to be unfazed by the sudden glaring, and looked to Sasuke, who was sitting in between the two girls.

“I’ll have a glass of water,” Sasuke said.

Apparently, the waiter was used to Sasuke not ordering anything as he moved on to Shino and Kiba, who ordered a vanilla custard imagawayaki and kakigori, respectively. Temari wondered just how often Naruto and his friends visited this shop.

“Let’s see,” Naruto said, propping his menu up on the table. “I’ll have two red bean imagawayakis.”

“I’ll get the anmitsu, too,” Chouji said. “And add a tuna and spinach crepe.”

“I-I’ll have the b-bocchan d-dango,” Hinata said, completing the orders from the Konohagakure students.

“I will have a red bean imagawayaki,” Gaara said, getting the same thing as Naruto.

Kankuro stared at his menu and then made up his mind. “I guess I’ll take all the dango you got.”

“All of them?” the waiter asked, unsure if he had heard right.

“Yeah, all of them,” Kankuro said, who was feeling generous. “Like, one order of each. I’ll share with everyone.”

“I guess I won’t order then,” Temari said.

“I mean,” said Kankuro, “Most of the dango will be going to you, so…”

Temari shrugged. “Okay, then.”

The waiter wrote down the last of the orders and was soon back with twelve cups of green tea. After passing the tea out and making sure his customers didn’t need anything else, the waiter left, leaving the high schoolers to talk amongst themselves.

“So, how old are you turning, Temari-san?” Sakura asked.

“Seventeen,” Temari said, painfully aware of the age difference between them.

Shikamaru, who had woken up when the drinks had been served, choked on his tea. “You’re _seventeen_?”

“Is there a problem?” Temari asked, raising an eyebrow at him in amusement as he swiftly wiped the table with a napkin.

“Wait,” said Naruto. “If you’re seventeen, then how old is Kankuro, dattebayo?”

“I’m currently sixteen,” Kankuro said.

Shikamaru stared at the two siblings, his face revealing his confusion, an expression Ino thought she would never see—the genius of Konoha High was _confused_.

“Wait, you’re older than Kankuro?” Shikamaru asked.

Temari nodded and Shikamaru continued to stare.

“I thought he was the oldest!” Shikamaru spluttered. “Or at least twins or something.”

Temari rolled her eyes. At this stage in her life, when Kankuro was now taller than her, Temari was used to people expecting Kankuro to be oldest, or for him to be her twin. With only a year apart, it wasn’t that far-fetched.

“If you’re older,” Naruto said slowly, processing things at the same speed as the current Shikamaru. “Then aren’t you supposed to be a senior, dattebayo?”

“I got pushed back a year,” Temari explained. “Not because I failed or anything, but my father decided it was better that way.”

Kankuro snorted. “Yeah, so he could keep an eye on us at the same time since we’d practically have all our classes together.”

“Man, your father sounds strict,” Kiba said, leaning back in his chair. “But I guess that’s to be expected as he’s the Kazekage.”

There was no more talk about the three foreigners after that as the food arrived. Naruto, Chouji, and Kiba immediately tucked in, while the girls and Shino were politer about it. On the other side of the table, Gaara neatly picked up his food and took a bite out of it, looking as if he had never eaten a red bean imagawayaki before. Kankuro and Temari each took turns tasting the different dango and challenging each other to see who could eat the most. The last person to eat was Shikamaru, who stared at the weird food that had arrived before him.

“Do I want to know what you guys ordered?” Shikamaru asked, stabbing his crepe with a fork. Pieces of spinach and tuna oozed out, and the young Nara sighed.

“How is it?” Chouji asked, his mouth filled with jelly and fruit.

“It’s… not too bad,” Shikamaru said, though the others couldn’t tell if he truly meant it.

“I think I’ll stick to ramen, dattebayo,” Naruto said, eyeing Shikamaru’s food distrustfully.

Temari offered a stick of dango to the boy sitting across from her, who looked slightly distressed at his friends’ choice of food for him. “If you don’t like the crepe, you can have some dango instead.”

Shikamaru shook his head, too prideful to accept Temari’s offer. “Nah, I’m good.”

Temari shrugged and popped a dango into her mouth. “Your loss.”

 

After everyone had finished their food and successfully stuffed themselves full, the high schoolers headed to Shikamaru’s house, which was, luckily, only a few blocks away.

As usual, Naruto led the way, with Kiba fighting for the position. Sasuke and Gaara followed behind them, both giving each other cold glances when they thought the other wasn’t looking. Some distance behind the two intimidating boys were Sakura and Hinata, who were chatting about their history projects. Shino and Chouji were next in line, both walking in amiable silence, with Kankuro and Temari after. At the rear were Ino and Shikamaru; Ino was whispering something in Shikamaru’s ear and Temari wondered what they were talking about.

“Isn’t it Nara’s house we’re going to?” Kankuro said, looking over his shoulder at the secretive pair. “Why isn’t he leading the way?”

“He’s lazy,” Temari said, examining the sky. “Naruto probably knows the way.”

“They’re all really close to each other, aren’t they?” Kankuro remarked. “Man, I wonder what it’d be like to have so many friends who’d stick to you like that.”

“That’s something we’ll never know,” Temari said sadly.

“Hey, cheer up,” Kankuro said, playfully punching his sister on the shoulder. “It’s your birthday. You can always think about the depressing stuff tomorrow, but for today, it’s just gonna be fun and games.”

“And dango,” Temari said. “Don’t forget the dango.”

Kankuro smirked. “Of course. How could I ever forget them?”

Temari rolled her eyes but couldn’t help but smile. She was glad for a brother like Kankuro, even if he could be an idiot at times.

The group stopped at an intersection, and Temari peeked behind her curiously. Ino was whispering something again, leaning closely to Shikamaru’s ear. Shikamaru shrugged her off, casting an annoyed and exasperated look at his childhood friend. Temari wondered again what Ino could possibly be saying to annoy Shikamaru like that. Though, upon further reflection, there were many things that annoyed Nara Shikamaru.

 

“I can’t believe you like a senior,” Ino said, for what was perhaps the fifteenth time since they had left the shop.

“Ino,” Shikamaru replied, tired of repeating the same conversation. “I _don’t_ like her.”

“You can fool yourself, but you can’t fool me, genius boy,” Ino said haughtily. “You’ve never looked at a girl before. You’ve never even _talked_ to a girl before.”

“I talk to you,” Shikamaru pointed out. “And I talk to Sakura. And Hinata.”

“Yeah, since we’re all practically friends,” Ino said. “I don’t count since we knew each other since, like, forever, and Sakura and Hinata don’t count since we’re all mutual friends here. Besides, you rarely talk to those two. Admit it; you’ve talked to Temari way more times than you’ve talked to both Sakura and Hinata combined!”

Shikamaru said nothing, seeing no way to change Ino’s mind.

“See, you’re not disagreeing!” Ino said triumphantly. “You _do_ like—”

“No, I don’t!” Shikamaru interrupted. “Just because I talk to her doesn’t mean I like her. We just so happen to be in the same club.”

“You know, I wonder why,” Ino pondered aloud. “Why did Temari, the ruthless girl from Suna, choose a boring club like yours?”

“Shogi isn’t boring,” Shikamaru said. “And obviously she knows that. She’s from a cultured family.”

“Oh, I know!” Ino said, ignoring Shikamaru. She gleefully clapped her hands together as if she had unexpectedly discovered something, successfully receiving looks from the girl in question. “It’s obvious it’s because _she likes you_.”

Shikamaru scoffed, though he was worried Temari had heard Ino. “Don’t be ridiculous, Ino.”

Ino smirked. “Whatever you say, Shikamaru. You can’t keep fooling yourself.”

Shikamaru shook his head. There was just no way to convince Ino otherwise. How was he supposed to explain that Temari was practically the _only_ girl who was willing to talk to him without seeming like she was bored to death? Moreover, Temari _liked shogi_. Well, more so than any other girl Shikamaru had ever met.

Ino was humming to herself now, as she skipped along. They were almost to Shikamaru’s house by now, and Shikamaru was glad for it. As soon as they got inside, he could focus on sleeping and staying out of Naruto and Kiba’s ways as they aggressively played video games.

“Yoshino-san!” Naruto hollered as soon as Chouji unlocked the door. “We’re here today, dattebayo!”

Shikamaru’s mother embraced Naruto. “Nice to see you, Naruto. Have you been eating well? I hope it’s not ramen every single day.”

Naruto laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. “Uh, it kind of _is_ ramen every day, dattebayo.”

“I’ll have you know he didn’t eat ramen today, Yoshino-san,” Kiba notified.

“Kiba!” Yoshino greeted, shaking the dog-lover’s hand. “And Sakura and Hinata! I see the whole gang is here today.”

“Thank you for having us over today, Yoshino-san,” Sakura and Hinata said, also shaking her hand.

Yoshino smiled. “You’re all welcome here anytime.”

“Yoshino-san,” Sasuke said briefly. Yoshino nodded her head coolly back at him, long used to the Uchiha’s detached behavior.

Yoshino stopped her greetings as she was met with an unfamiliar face. The boy in front of her looked about her son’s age, with flaming red hair and chilling eyes. Dark circles surrounded his eyes and there was a bizarre tattoo etched onto his pale skin.

“Oh, Yoshino-san, this is Sabaku no Gaara, dattebayo,” Naruto introduced. “He’s the Kazekage’s son! And these two are the Kazekage’s kids as well, dattebayo! They’re all exchange students at Konoha High this year!”

Gaara nodded stiffly at his host. “It’s an honor to meet you, Yoshino-san.”

Yoshino nodded back in return. “Likewise, Gaara-sama.”

 She recognized the name Sabaku no Gaara, and if this one was Gaara, then the boy with the purple face paint was Kankuro, and the girl was Temari. These were the children Shikaku and Shikamaru had talked about the other day, though she had never thought she would meet them in person. Hadn’t Shikamaru said something about never wanting to see them again…?

“I’m Temari,” the girl said, confirming Yoshino’s guesses.

“Kankuro,” the boy said.

They offered a hand in greeting and Yoshino shook them. “It’s nice to meet you all.”

“The pleasure is all ours,” Temari replied smoothly.

“Sorry for showing up out of the blue,” Kankuro said, remembering his manners. “Naruto here invited us today, and Shikamaru said it was fine.”

“Yeah, ‘cause won’t this be fun?” Naruto said. “And it’s Temari’s birthday today, dattebayo! So, we definitely need to have some fun!”

“It’s your birthday today?” Yoshino asked. “Well, happy birthday, Temari-sama.”

“Thanks,” Temari said, embarrassed. “And just Temari will do.”

Yoshino nodded in acknowledgement and continued to greet the rest of her son’s friends.

 

Naruto and Kiba were arguing over who was better at Mario Kart as Shikamaru set up the game, one on the TV, and one on the extra computer screen he had for occasions like this.

“No, my team will definitely win!” Naruto said. “Because obviously, I’m the best here, dattebayo.”

Kiba rolled his eyes. “Then I dare you to play without Sasuke on your team this time!”

 “Fine, I will!” Naruto said. “Then I’ll challenge you first, and whoever wins will go against Sasuke, dattebayo!”

“What, is Sasuke the best here?” Kankuro asked.

“Yeah, he is,” Kiba said. “I’ll pick first. I’ll take Hinata-chan on my team.”

“Oh, is that how it is,” Naruto said. “Then I’ll pick—”

“Woah, hold up,” Kiba said. “Sasuke is choosing next. You choose last. You shouldn’t have a problem, though, right, since you’re obviously the better of the two us?”

Naruto scowled but conceded.

Sasuke looked around at his friends. “Sakura.”

Sakura gave Ino a triumphant look as she happily scooted closer to the Uchiha.

“Gaara!” Naruto announced. “You’re my first pick, dattebayo!”

Kankuro snorted. “Wrong choice there, kid.”

“What, why?” Naruto asked, confused.

“We don’t know how to play,” Temari answered.

“Wait, really?” Naruto said. “Wait, then I want—”

“No take backs!” Kiba said. “You chose him and now you got to stick with him. I want Shino next.”

Naruto pouted a little. “You won’t let me down, will you, Gaara?”

“I will try my best,” Gaara promised.

“Chouji,” Sasuke said, choosing his next member.

“Ino,” Naruto said. If Gaara and his siblings had never played, then it was best to choose Ino over them.

“Kankuro,” Kiba called out, and Kankuro shrugged.

“Your loss, man,” Kankuro said, accepting the Wii remote handed to him.

“Hey, you’re better than the lazy ass over there,” Kiba said. “He never tries.”

Sasuke chose the remaining sand sibling, and Naruto had no choice but to accept Shikamaru onto his team.

“Can’t you _please_ try this time, dattebayo?” Naruto begged his friend.

Shikamaru shrugged ambiguously.

“Three rounds,” Kiba said. “But first, we’ll let these three play a round and you can teach them, Naruto.”

After teaching them how to play, the competition started. Naruto hoped Gaara had learned a thing or two in the practice round before.

However, Naruto soon discovered that he had no need to worry. Gaara was proving to be a pro at the game.

“What the heck,” Kiba said as his team lost the second round. “I thought you said you guys have never played before!”

Kankuro was just as stunned as his team leader. “We haven’t! I mean, look how bad I am at this!”

“You’re not that bad, actually,” Sakura reassured him. “Though, Kiba is right. I never would have guessed this was your first time.”

Gaara frowned. “Am I that good?”

“Yes, you are, dattebayo!” Naruto said, clapping Gaara proudly on the back. “Man, who knew you would be so good?”

They played one more round, in which Kiba’s team lost again, and then it was Naruto versus Sasuke.

Sasuke was by far the best player in their group of friends, but Gaara was rapidly catching up, progressing at an alarming rate after each round.

In the end, Naruto’s team won all games, and the high schoolers decided it was time for a different game. Midway through their new set of games, Yoshino had dropped by with snacks and Shikamaru had hidden himself in a corner, fast asleep, with Chouji accompanying him.

Temari watched the rest of the games in fascination. She wasn’t as great as her brothers, but it was still interesting to watch. She and her brothers had never been allowed to play video games before; their father had claimed it was too distracting and that they needed to focus on their studies.

However, after half an hour had gone by, Temari was growing bored. She decided it was time for a trip to the bathroom. Except Naruto was currently occupying the one downstairs, so she stood outside waiting.

“Oh, there’s one upstairs, you know,” Chouji said, coming back from the kitchen with more snacks and drinks. “You can use it. I have no idea how long Naruto is going to take. Sometimes he eats too much.”

“Oh, thanks,” Temari said, unsure of which direction she should be heading towards.

“The stairs are over there,” Chouji said, pointing. “The bathroom is easy to spot. It’s going to be the only open room.”

 

Temari made her way up the stairs. True to Chouji’s words, there was only one room with the door propped open. Temari started to go in, but stopped as she took in her surroundings.

She wasn’t in the bathroom.

The room was messy, with the curtains half-drawn open. Piles of paper and textbooks lay scattered about, and the drawers of the desk were opened. There was a note stuck on the door, and Temari peered at it.

_Shikamaru, CLEAN UP YOUR ROOM_

_-Mom_

Temari had a sinking feeling as she realized whose room she had stumbled upon.

As she made to exit, she caught sight of the bed. There was a half-played shogi game, as well as an unopened chess set, and piles of freshly folded clothes. Temari raised an eyebrow as she caught sight of the clothes—they were simple and plain, words Temari now associated with Shikamaru—but what caught her attention most of all was the stack of newly folded underwear.

Temari figured she should not have been embarrassed—she was used to folding Kankuro and Gaara’s clothes, after all—but this was someone she barely knew, and she felt her face heat up. She decided it was an appropriate time to make her retreat.

Abruptly, there was the sound of flushing and running water—coming from what was _definitely_ the bathroom—and Temari quickly stepped away, as if she had not just been staring into some boy’s room; but she was not fast enough as the person opened the door and came out into the hall.

It was the owner himself, who gave her a classic deer-in-the-headlights look.

“Nice clothes,” Temari commented casually, gaining back her composure.

“What?” Shikamaru asked blankly before recognizing the open door to his room. He took a glimpse of the view inside and immediately turned pink, mentally burying himself in his backyard.

“MOM!” Shikamaru yelled, hastily slamming the door shut. “Did you have to do laundry _today_? And why didn’t you close my door?!”

“Don’t use that tone of voice with me, young man!” Yoshino replied, climbing up the stairs to scold her son.

She paused at the top, noticing Shikamaru and the young woman he was with, and suddenly understood her son’s reaction.

“Oh, hello,” Yoshino said, refusing to acknowledge that she may have made an error.

Temari let out a hesitant “hello” in return.

“You’re Temari, right?” Yoshino asked, hoping her memory was right.

Temari nodded. “Yes. Sorry, I was just looking for the bathroom, Yoshino-san, and I accidently found his room instead”

“You were looking for the bathroom upstairs?” Shikamaru said incredulously. “There’s one downstairs!”

“Naruto’s using it,” Temari replied. “And Chouji told me to come here. He said there would be one up here.”

“So, what, you thought my room was the bathroom?” Shikamaru asked skeptically.

“Chouji said it’d be the only open door,” Temari replied in the same tone. "And your room just so happened to be the only one with an open door at the time."

Yoshino glared at her son. “Anyone can make that kind of mistake. Now, don’t be rude, and show your guest where it is.”

Shikamaru grumbled and obeyed, letting out a “this is troublesome” under his breath.

“I heard that, young man,” Yoshino said sternly.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, and dramatically pointed to where the bathroom was.

“It’s over there,” Shikamaru said. “You know, the one that actually looks like a bathroom.”

Making sure Yoshino had left, Temari rolled her eyes at him and slammed the door in his face.


	20. Dinner and Birthday Presents

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnd WE'VE REACHED 20 CHAPTERS! A nice short chapter for her birthday...  
> Also I feel so bad for Shikamaru, the poor boy. Also Temari is too chill about everything.  
> Whoops I thought already put this up but apparently not...  
> All characters belong to Kishimoto-san.

**Chapter 20: Dinner and Birthday Presents**

He was gone when Temari came out, though that wasn’t much of a surprise. Temari supposed she would have hightailed it out of there, too.

She descended back down the stairs, where Chouji and Shino were now playing Pokémon on Nintendo DS’s, and Naruto and Kiba were having some sort of yelling match while playing Super Smash Bros.

“Ha! Beat that, Kiba!” Naruto shouted, knocking over Kiba’s character.

Kiba rolled his eyes. “I’m still ahead of you, stupid.”

“Oh, hey, Temari,” Kankuro said, noticing his sister’s return. He offered her a soda can.

“Want something to drink?”

“No, thanks,” Temari replied, taking a seat next to her brother, who was watching Chouji’s game over his shoulder. She scanned the room, looking for Shikamaru, who was probably hiding in a corner.

“Where’s Shikamaru?” Temari asked, not finding him.

“He’s most likely hiding out in his room,” Ino said. “Large crowds of noise scare him.”

Temari smirked, satisfied that she had caused such a reaction from the normally apathetic boy. “I see.”

Ino gave her a questioning glance, but Temari shrugged nonchalantly. There was no need to further embarrass the boy.

 

The games were over after around two hours. It was around seven at night now as Temari and her siblings left Shikamaru’s house. Shikamaru, who was kicked out of his room by his mother so he could “see his guests out," was refusing to look any of them in the eye, mumbling an incoherent “goodbye” as they walked out his door.

The only ones who hadn’t left were Chouji and Ino, who were prepared to eat dinner at his place.

“What’re you doing?” Ino asked as Shikamaru continued fidgeting in his seat at the dining table.

Shikamaru stopped moving. “What do you mean?”

Ino rolled her eyes. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed you acting weird this afternoon.”

Shikamaru sighed and relented. There was no point in keeping information from Ino—she had her ways of finding out even when Shikamaru tried his hardest to hide it from her—and it was always better to tell her directly so she wouldn’t jump to conclusions. _Like with me and Temari_ , Shikamaru thought.

And so Shikamaru related the events from earlier that day, and how the Sunagakure girl had happened upon his room and the unfortunate clothes that had been in full view.

“At least they were folded,” said Ino, comforting her friend. “I mean, how worse would it have been if you had done the laundry yourself, and just left it all displayed on your bed?”

“I never leave my clothes like that if I’m the one to do it,” Shikamaru retorted.

“Don’t lie,” Ino said. “You leave your clothes scattered everywhere all the time, especially if you’re the one who did laundry and had to fold it.”

“Yeah,” Chouji agreed. “Since you’re always so lazy, you put it off until later.”

“I can’t believe she just put them there though!” Shikamaru exclaimed. “I mean, shouldn’t my mom know better than to leave them there like that?”

“I mean, usually she remembers to close your door,” Chouji said. “And, let’s face it, most of your friends are guys.”

“And I’ve seen your clothes plenty of times before,” Ino added. “I’ve even had to help fold them that one time you were at an overnight shogi competition so your poor mother wouldn’t have to do all the chores by herself.”

“My mother is perfectly capable of handling it herself,” Shikamaru muttered. “She doesn’t need your assistance.”

Ino patted Shikamaru on the back. “Nothing you can do about it now. It shouldn’t matter to you, anyways. I mean, you won’t see her again, right?”

“I have a club with her,” Shikamaru said matter-of-factly. “And third and fourth period.”

Ino feigned surprise, letting out a dramatic gasp. “Oh, that’s right! I completely forgot! I guess you’re doomed then. But she’ll forget about it soon, anyways. Like I said, it shouldn’t matter to you.”

Ino smiled slyly. “Unless, of course, you _like her_.”

Shikamaru sighed, burying his face in his hands. “I hate you.”

He was rewarded with a soft object hitting the back of his head.

“Ow!” Shikamaru looked up to see his mother glaring at him. It was as if all the women he knew were trying to get him killed today.

“Set up the table, Shikamaru,” Yoshino demanded.

“I’ll help,” Ino offered, but Shikamaru knew the real reason why she stood up. She wanted to continue her conversation, and Shikamaru was glad that at least she didn’t do it in front of his mother.

Chouji also stood up. “Me, too.”

The trio made their way to the kitchen, where the plates and eating utensils were stored.

Picking up four pairs of chopsticks, Ino resumed where she had left off.

“I mean, people do embarrassing things all the time, right?” Ino said. “And usually we all forget about such things after a few days.”

“Unless it’s friends,” said Chouji. “Then we continue rubbing it in your face for a few months.”

“But she’s not your friend, right?” Ino said. “You two are just acquaintances, after all.”

Shikamaru groaned, stacking four bowls in his hands. “What do you two want from me?”

“Nothing,” Ino said at the same time Chouji said, “Your snacks.”

Ino rolled her eyes at Chouji. “All I am doing is helping you realize just how much you care about her.”

Shikamaru sighed. “It’s hard to not care when she walked in on my clothes like that! What if that had been you? And it had been Sasuke?”

Ino went red in the face. “How dare you compare us like that, Nara Shikamaru! Besides, I _like_ Sasuke-kun. By using that analogy, you inadvertently admitted that you _do_ like her!”

Shikamaru hated how perceptive Ino was about all the useless, tiny details that didn’t even matter. He had just said the first boy that came to mind, and it had just so happened to be Sasuke, the one Ino liked. It made no sense for her to compare that to how Shikamaru might possibly like Temari. He _didn’t_ like her, and that was all there was to it.

“Ino, that’s stupid,” Shikamaru said. “Fine, then how about Naruto instead? Or Kiba? It doesn’t have to be Sasuke. You get my point. It’s embarrassing either way. Any normal person would be this embarrassed!”

Ino shrugged. “Whatever helps you sleep at night, Shikamaru.”

 

“Ah, there you are. I was wondering if you were ever coming back at all,” Baki joked as the three Sunagakure siblings trudged out of the elevator, looking utterly worn-out.

“Did something happen?” Baki asked, unaccustomed to Temari and Kankuro’s tired looks.

“Nah,” Kankuro said. “We just had some dango and snacks after school, and then we went over to Nara’s house and played a bunch of video games.”

“Was it fun?” Baki asked, knowing how lacking his students were in the video games department. Even though he was their primary caretaker, he was still under the Fourth Kazekage’s orders and had no choice but to refuse them such entertainment.

“Yeah, it was!” Kankuro said. “It was so fast-paced and everything, and it’s, like, one of the few things I can beat Temari in!”

“Only because I was going easy on you,” Temari countered.

“Yeah, sure,” Kankuro said. “Anyways, where are we going for dinner?”

“There’s this nice soup place I found,” Baki said, looking at the map on his phone. “It’s got Temari’s favorite, as well as rice for Gaara.”

“What about my favorite food?” Kankuro whined.

“We can have hamburger steak some other day,” Gaara spoke up. “Today is Temari’s birthday, not yours.”

Kankuro exchanged looks with his sister. “Right.”

After washing up a bit, the Sunagakure citizens filed into the car and Baki drove them to a fancy restaurant, a sharp contrast to the food they had earlier.

Temari ordered her favorite dish, kenchin soup, while Gaara and Baki ordered two bowls of white rice and some side dishes. Kankuro contemplated the menu for a while before resolving to eat noodles.

The four of them happily ate their dinner, with Gaara joining in on the conversation, much to everyone’s surprise.

“Naruto-kun taught me how to use the Wii today,” Gaara said. “He was very good at it.”

“But you were even better,” Kankuro said. “You should’ve seen Gaara, Baki-sensei! He beat Uchiha Sasuke like it was nothing!”

“I still have much to learn,” Gaara said modestly, stuffing more rice into his mouth to hide his embarrassment at being praised by his brother.

“I wish we could play games back in Suna,” Temari said wistfully.

“I’m sure you’ll be able to once you graduate,” Baki said reassuringly.

“Yeah, but until then, we still have one more year,” Kankuro complained. “And by then, Temari will already be eighteen!”

“Legal in the country, but not in the household,” said Temari.

“Just look to the future, Temari-san,” Baki advised. “Like I always say, indomitable perseverance.”

Kankuro rolled his eyes. “We know, we know. It’s your favorite phrase.”

“But are we seriously going to the Uchihas’ place for dinner tomorrow?” Temari asked.

“Yes,” Baki said, returning to his strict mentor mode. “I am not giving you a choice. The dinner is at six, so be back by five at the latest. We’re leaving at five-forty.”

“Great, just what I wanted for my birthday,” Temari said, “A depressing hours-long formal dinner banquet thing with the Uchiha who never talks.”

 

After dinner, they made their way to the hotel and up the floors, back to their little oasis. They were still full, so the four of them retreated to their rooms to relax a bit before ten, the time Baki had decided was perfect for eating cake. Temari had never asked him why.

Temari and Kankuro played a game of cards, before Temari retired to the showers and Kankuro to his homework, which he grumpily did.

Around nine-fifty, Temari came out of her room, halfway finished with what little homework she had.

Baki already had the cake set up in the common room. It was a two-layer cake—one chocolate and one vanilla—with purple icing, decked out in colorful, tiny frosted flowers. The words “Happy Birthday, Temari!” were written on a chocolate slab, and Baki was putting the candles in.

Kankuro was sitting next to him, a large wrapped-up box next to him. He was neatly dressed in a clean T-shirt, his face scrubbed clear of paint. Gaara was seated opposite him, dressed even neater than his brother. His hair was somewhat tamed, unlike his older brother’s, and he held a box in his hands.

“Happy birthday, Temari!” Kankuro shouted across the room for the second time that day. “You’re the coolest sister ever, even if you can be hella bossy!”

Temari rolled her eyes but couldn’t keep the smile off her face. “Why, thank you, Kankuro.”

Kankuro grinned, standing up. He made a show of bowing as he handed Temari an envelope. “All my debts paid, my dear sister. Including the one from the other day with the paint, and excluding the food I bought today.”

Temari accepted it. “I’m counting this money and making sure it’s right, young man.”

Kankuro smirked. “Of course, it’s right. I’m Kankuro. I never make mistakes.”

“I don’t recall math being your strong suit,” Gaara said thoughtfully.

Kankuro shrugged and said nothing, sitting back down as Baki lit the candles.

“Happy birthday, Temari-san,” Baki said.

Kankuro, and even Gaara, echoed him, and Kankuro pulled out a chair for his sister to sit.

“You’re only nice to me on my birthday, huh,” Temari said.

“That’s nonsense,” Kankuro said. “I’m always nice. It’s part of my charm.”

“You’re too full of yourself,” Temari said.

She looked at the candles in front of her. _I wish it could be like this all the time_ , Temari thought. _Where we’re all happy and peaceful, and having fun together. I wish we could always be like a family_.

“So, what did you wish?” Kankuro asked curiously.

Temari hit him. “I’m not supposed to tell you, idiot.”

Kankuro rubbed his shoulder. “That hurt. But since it’s your birthday, I’ll let it slide.”

Baki handed Temari a knife and she cut the first slice, handing it to the man who had always been by her side as she grew up.

Baki accepted it, looking a bit proud, and Temari cut the next slice until everyone had a slice of cake in front of them.

“So,” Kankuro said, after everyone had taken a few bites, “It’s time for presents!”

He slid the box behind him forward and Temari wondered what was inside. What had Kankuro made her this time?

Temari unwrapped the box, and stared, puzzled, at the object before her. It was her fan, except made entirely of wood, and on a much smaller scale. Where the purple dots on her fan were, there were now vase-like protrusions. On the back were the words “To: Temari. From: obviously the best brother in the world because who else would replace me, Kankuro.” Temari rolled her eyes, amused at her brother’s depiction of himself, but was still grateful, if a little confused.

“Uh, what is this?” Temari asked.

Kankuro’s face fell a little, disappointed his sister had not recognized what it was right away. “It’s a vase! Or like, a series of vases! It’s a, uh, vase stand thingy? Like, you can put plants here! And you can just prop this fan upright in your room and stuff!”

“Ohhh,” Temari said. It was certainly creative, Temari admitted.

The next to come forward was Baki. He handed her a square box. Temari opened it up to see a framed picture. There were two people there, one she easily recognized as her father. The other was the face of someone Temari sometimes had trouble recalling—her mother. In their arms, they held a baby girl, which Temari knew right away had to be her.

“I found this while packing,” Baki said. “I’d forgotten I had it. Your parents were very proud that day, and decided to send these out to their friends.”

“Thank you, Baki-sensei,” Temari said quietly, still staring at her mother’s image, remembering once again how she didn’t look like her mother, save for maybe her hair, and the shape of their eyes.

The last member of her family stepped forward, a little hesitant at interrupting Temari from her reminiscing.

“Temari.” Gaara said, clearing his throat uncertainly. He handed the small box in his hands to her. “Happy birthday.”

“Thank you, Gaara,” Temari said. She had not expected a present from her youngest brother today; she hadn’t even expected him to tell her “Happy birthday,” yet here he was, doing it for the second time that day.

Temari opened her last present, ripping off the wrapping and tossing it aside. It was a small potted plant—a flower.

“I remembered you like flowers,” Gaara said awkwardly, his eyes glued to the floor. “So, I bought one at the flower shop in Konohagakure yesterday. I wasn’t sure which one you would like, so I picked the most expensive one.”

“It’s very pretty, Gaara,” Temari reassured her youngest brother, who looked relieved.

“You can put it in Kankuro’s vase contraption,” Gaara suggested helpfully.

Temari did so, and the family spent the rest of the night taking pictures, playing games, and laughing with each other.

Temari watched how relaxed everyone seemed, and Temari thought that maybe, just maybe, her wish might come true.


	21. Sasuke vs Gaara

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All characters belong to Kishimoto-san.

**Chapter 21: Sasuke vs Gaara**

Clouds filled the sky the next morning, turning it a dull grey color. The sun was hidden and the air was cold, drawing fog from everyone’s mouths; it was almost as if the weather could sense the three siblings’ darkening moods.

“I hate banquets,” Kankuro announced, stabbing his waffle viciously.

“Your waffle has not done anything to you,” Gaara said quietly, though he did not look pleased, either.

Kankuro stopped his stabbing, opting to pour more syrup onto his waffle instead. “Fine. But I still hate banquets.”

“Stop thinking about it,” Temari said. “It’s not until tonight, so can’t you just forget about it for now?”

“How can I forget it when it’s today?” Kankuro demanded. “I hate making polite conversation with strangers! They always ask the same things, and then expect me to be an exact replica of Father, or something!”

“Calm down,” said Temari, placing a hand on her younger brother. “Just smile and answer them. They’ll probably get bored of us, anyways. It’s always Baki-sensei and Gaara they want to talk to.”

Temari paused, watching her youngest brother for a reaction. The redhead slowly dripped a tiny amount of syrup onto his breakfast.

“I do what I must,” Gaara said. “If the Uchihas wish to talk to me, then I will comply.”

“What if they ask stuff you don’t wanna answer?” Kankuro asked, knowing full well he was venturing into dangerous territory.

Gaara did not glare at him. “Then I will not answer.”

“Fair enough,” Temari said.

Ever since yesterday, Gaara had been acting nicer than normal. Temari and Kankuro had taken turns testing him, and, to their surprise, not once had he snapped at them.

“Are we doing anything after school today?” Temari asked, hurrying the conversation along.

“I’m staying with the art club,” Kankuro said, absentmindedly dumping more syrup onto his food. “I started building this puppet yesterday and I want to finish the rest of its head before I move on.”

“Oh,” Temari said, though her focus was more on her brother’s food as she eyed it in disgust. “Isn’t that a bit too much?”

“What?”

“Syrup,” said Gaara, and Kankuro looked down at his plate.

“Oh, fuck,” the puppet-boy said, hastily removing the rest of the syrup before it could find its way to his waffle.

“Language,” Temari warned, taking custody of the syrup.

Kankuro rolled his eyes, offering his plate to Temari. “Want some of my syrup?”

“Not really,” said Temari, but she used her fork to scoop some of the syrup off her brother’s plate anyways.

“Thanks,” Kankuro said, inhaling waffles into his mouth.

“Slow down,” Temari said. “We still have time.”

“I know,” said Kankuro. “But I just remembered I forgot to do a homework assignment last night.”

 

As it turned out, Kankuro hadn’t needed to cram in a whole chapter’s worth of _Adventures of Huckleberry Finn_. His first period teacher, Daikoku, droned on about the chapter that they were supposed to have read last night. He didn’t even bother to ask the students questions, or to see if they were paying attention, which made Kankuro frustrated because he had wasted this morning trying to read the damn book in fear of being called upon.

Second period was much better. Asuma, saying it was a Friday, had them watch a physics documentary for the entire period. Most of the class either went on their phones or fell asleep, with Kankuro doing the latter.

Third period was P.E., and Kankuro was in a cheerful mood at this point. It had started raining heavily halfway through second period, and the rain continued into third. Guy, seeing the muddy soccer field, had them run laps inside the gym, and then left them to play basketball.

Calculus fourth period started to dampen Kankuro’s mood once more. Asuma gave them a pop quiz—which Asuma had claimed was rare and was unlikely to happen—and Kankuro was sure he had missed at least half the questions. After the quiz, Asuma forced them to take notes, working right up until the bell rang.

Kankuro fled from Asuma’s room as soon as he was released, using his puppet-backpack as a shield from the rain that was still pouring down.

“This sucks,” Kankuro said. “I hope the Uchihas aren’t planning on having a banquet outdoors. Those were fine in Suna, but here, it’s just going to be a pain to sit in the rain.”

“They’re not crazy enough to have a banquet outside,” Temari said, holding up an umbrella for Kankuro to duck under.

“Where’d you get the umbrella?” Kankuro asked. He was sure none of them had thought to bring umbrellas to Konohagakure.

“Shikamaru let me borrow it,” Temari said. “Or more precisely, Ino said I could borrow it and gave it to me.”

“That makes no sense,” Kankuro said. “She just took his umbrella?”

“He doesn’t use umbrellas, apparently,” Temari said. “But his mother makes him bring one to school, anyways.”

“Weird,” said Kankuro. “When were you so close to Yamanaka Ino, anyways?”

“When were you so close to Rock Lee?” Temari retorted.

“True,” Kankuro said. “I suppose it’s easier for us to make friends now that we’re not automatically grouped with Gaara.”

“Speaking of Gaara, where does he go during lunch?” Temari asked.

“He’s with Naruto,” a feminine voice said behind them. The two siblings turned around to see Yamanaka Ino and Akimichi Chouji standing under flower-painted umbrellas that mimicked the one Temari held in her hands.

“Oh, hey, Ino,” said Temari. “What’re you doing here?”

“Looking for Shikamaru,” Ino replied. “It’s raining so he’s unlikely to be at his tree. I was wondering if he was with you.”

“No, he’s not,” Temari answered, uncertain as to why Ino would think the lazy boy would be in her company.

“Thanks, anyways,” Ino said, cheerfully waving goodbye.

“What was that?” Kankuro frowned. “Why would she look for Nara here?”

Temari shrugged. It was one of Ino’s many mysteries. “No idea.”

 

It had finally stopped raining by the time Gaara stepped out of his fifth period class, biology with Suzume.

Chouji and Shino, Gaara’s lab partners for the day, politely bid their goodbyes to him and Gaara nodded back in acknowledgement. It was time for the class he was most looking forward to—and to the one fight he knew would confirm his purpose in the world.

Gaara impatiently handed his consent form to Kakashi and sought Uchiha Sasuke out. Instead, he got Uchiha Sasuke’s best friend.

“Gaara! Come fight with me!” Naruto said, offering a wooden staff to the other boy.

Gaara accepted it, not knowing what else to do. He couldn’t refuse Naruto, the first friend he had ever made in his entire life. But at the same time, what he really wanted to do was fight _Uchiha Sasuke_ , not Naruto.

The blond boy was already pulling Gaara forward, and into one of the crudely drawn dueling circles on the floor.

Gaara shifted so that he was in defensive position as Naruto did the same opposite him. Blood pounded in Gaara’s ears, and he could feel the wooden floor beneath him trembling. The lights seemed to dim, and a haunting voice echoed in the room.

_Kill him, boy._

Naruto lunged and Gaara deftly blocked it, countering with a fast swing to Naruto’s neck. The younger boy stopped it clumsily, staggering backwards from the impact.

_Why do you play with him? You know he is not your opponent. He is weak._

Gaara ignored the words, focusing instead on his breathing and the irregular, almost frantic, thumping of his heart.

“What’s wrong, Gaara?” Naruto asked, stopping at the sight on Gaara’s face.

“Nothing,” Gaara managed, forcing Shukaku into submission. _I am your creator, and you_ will _obey me!_

 _Hurry up and finish him off._ Shukaku was undaunted. _He is not worth your time. Remember who is._

 “Where is Uchiha Sasuke?” Gaara said, feeling sweat sliding down his face as he continued his efforts.

Naruto frowned. “I think he’s late. He’s never late, though, dattebayo.”

Gaara nodded slowly. He raised his staff up. “Let us continue until he arrives.”

Naruto concurred and the two once again faced off.

 _Uchiha Sasuke is here_.

A grotesque grin wound its way onto Gaara’s face, causing even Naruto to back away slightly.

“Uh, are you okay, dattebayo?” Naruto asked hesitantly.

“This fight is over,” Gaara said coldly, his eyes trained on the boy making his way over.

“But—” Naruto protested, but Gaara pushed him roughly aside.

“You’re late, Uchiha Sasuke,” Gaara growled, trying to stop himself from pummeling the other boy right away.

“I’d say I’m just in time,” Uchiha Sasuke replied coolly. “Naruto, let me borrow that.”

Naruto submissively handed the weapon over, watching the two boys anxiously with his mouth slightly open. Gaara was acting strange.

“One round,” Gaara said. “Or do you need more to prove that you’re weaker?”

Uchiha Sasuke smirked. “One is more than enough.”

Without warning, Sasuke attacked, his staff a wooden blur. Gaara blocked each one, Shukaku’s voice edging him on.

_That’s right. Show the Uchiha who is stronger! Show me what you were made for! You’re a weapon, made to kill people like Uchiha Sasuke!_

The two boys moved faster, barely registering the growing audience around them.

“We might have to interfere,” Guy said quietly as he and Lee stopped their training.

Kakashi said nothing and continued reading his book, though his eyes were not on the page.

“That’s right,” Gaara said softly, green eyes fixed on the wispy figure in front of him. “I have to fix my mistakes. I must atone for killing you… Mother.”

Uchiha Sasuke was behind Gaara, probing with the end of his staff—two quick jabs that should have made their mark, but Gaara was faster. He spun around, knocking the weapon from the Uchiha with such force that even Naruto, who was standing the closest, flinched.

Weaponless, but not defenseless, Uchiha Sasuke pushed forward, ducking under Gaara’s staff and attempting a punch, which was blocked by Gaara’s wooden weapon.

 _Kill him now. He has lost already_.

Gaara obeyed, seeing nothing but the red of Uchiha Sasuke’s blood before him.

“I am nothing but a weapon,” Gaara growled, beating Uchiha Sasuke back with his staff. “I am a _monster,_ created to kill you, Uchiha Sasuke! You will taste blood, _your_ blood!”

Gaara whirled the wooden weapon expertly in his hands and Uchiha Sasuke was not fast enough to slip away. There was a sickening crunch as the round end of the staff contacted with the other boy, sending crimson blood spraying into the air, and splattering onto the ground, marking the ground as _his_ territory. There was no one who could escape Gaara. _No one_.

Guy stepped forward, but Kakashi held him back.

“Wait a bit,” Kakashi said, his book long forgotten. His one eye watched the match with keen interest. “Nothing serious has happened yet.”

Guy frowned, but reluctantly complied.

Uchiha Sasuke sat up, wiping blood off his nose and chin. His normally dark eyes were filled with anger, turning an almost red color.

“G-Gaara,” Naruto started. “Aren’t you taking things a bit too far, dattebayo?”

The redhead did not hear his words, his ears deaf to all but the voice in his head.

“Giving up so soon?” Gaara snarled. Not waiting for a reply, he slammed his staff down onto Uchiha Sasuke.

The young Uchiha rolled to the side, already stepping out of bounds. Gaara pursued him, his face fixed in an ugly grimace.

Both boys had long forgotten where they were, or the conditions of their duel. All that mattered was their opponent.

Taking a deep breath, Uchiha Sasuke attacked, his leg sweeping Gaara off his feet. Gaara, startled by the sudden burst in speed, fell. He landed hard on the ground, the wind briefly knocked out of him. However, he was back up as soon as he hit, still as bloodthirsty as ever.

“Go ahead, Uchiha Sasuke!” Gaara bellowed. “Try your best! You can’t defeat me, Sunagakure’s greatest weapon!”

Uchiha Sasuke, wisely, chose not to reply, conserving his strength for the rest of the fight. As Gaara drew near, Uchiha Sasuke dealt a blow, using his fist to knock the weapon out of Gaara’s hand.

Gaara, swaying slightly, let go, his grip on his weapon already weak. Uchiha Sasuke had the advantage now. He was the one with the weapon.

Uchiha Sasuke charged, as brutal as his opponent had been. Gaara held up his arms in defense, and Uchiha Sasuke had to try again. Each time, both would attack, but neither landed a hit.

Suddenly, Gaara had the advantage again as Uchiha Sasuke lost his footing on his own slippery blood.

“You’re dead,” Gaara crowed triumphantly, kicking the staff away from the Uchiha’s hands. Raising his foot, he stomped down, hard, onto the other boy’s body.

Gaara’s foot met with the gym’s hard floor. The boy looked about wildly.

_Where did he go? How did you lose him, stupid human boy?_

“Too slow,” Uchiha Sasuke said.

The Uchiha was behind him. How had he gotten there? There was no way Uchiha Sasuke could be _faster_ than Gaara. It was impossible.

Gaara spun around, hands already up in defense, but there was only empty air. Something hard struck the base of his skull, and Gaara lurched, his consciousness wavering as bright lights flashed across his vision.

“It’s over,” Uchiha Sasuke said.

The pain hit him, and Gaara howled, the agony unbearable as scarlet drops decorated the floor. He was _bleeding_.

“I will kill him. I’ll kill him! I’ll kill everyone! I have to!” Gaara swore. “Or else what is the point of my _existence_?”

“I think that’s enough, Gaara-kun,” Kakashi said quietly. The ANBU stood protectively over his student, his eyes chilling. His hand was over his gun, and Gaara glared at him.

“Shut up,” Gaara snapped. “Get out of my way. You don’t understand! I _can’t_ lose! I still have to fight—”

“You’ve lost, Gaara.” It was the other teacher in their club, and he looked less pleased than Kakashi. “Don’t force me to take you out and bring you to the office again.”

It was then that Gaara noticed the liquid on the floor, the red seeping from his own wounds. Pain shot through his body and Gaara winced, his breathing out of control.

And suddenly the voice was gone, and Gaara’s vision cleared. He saw the looks around the room, how _afraid_ everyone was; he saw Uchiha Sasuke standing over him, his blood-streaked face in a mask of victory; but most of all, Gaara saw Naruto’s concerned expression and frantic, almost caring, gestures.

The boy stared dumbly in front of him.

“I… lost?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, did anyone notice the title of this chapter...? It's exactly like the one from the manga. I think I'm so funny or something.


	22. Banquet with the Uchihas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, if anyone is interested in knowing when my fics update (or like, the expected publication dates), you can always check out my profile on fanfiction.net, https://www.fanfiction.net/u/7634347/
> 
> All characters belong to Kishimoto-san.

**Chapter 22: Banquet with the Uchihas**

“Are you okay, Gaara?” Naruto was the first to rush forward, urgently checking the Sunagakure boy over for other, less apparent wounds.

Gaara wearily waved a hand at him. “I’m fine, Naruto-kun.”

“You don’t look fine,” said Naruto, his hands still searching. “Your head is bleeding, dattebayo.”

“It’s a head wound,” Gaara said, standing up and wincing. He touched the side of his head; his hands came away slick with blood. “Head wounds always bleed a lot.”

“Are you sure that’s normal, dattebayo?” Naruto said, looking unconvinced.

“he should be fine as long as he bandages that up,” Kakashi said, gesturing for the other gathered students to return to their work. “Let me check, just in case, Gaara-kun.”

Gaara nodded slightly—just enough to let his teacher know he had heard him, but not enough to cause himself any more pain.

Kakashi walked over, gently placing his hands on Gaara’s head as he peered at the injury with his one eye.

“It’s shallow,” Kakashi decreed. “We just need to wash it off and bandage it.”

Kakashi produced a towel and handed it to Naruto. “Soak that in water, will you?”

While Naruto ran off, Kakashi went to check on the other injured boy, who looked better off than his defeated opponent.

“You seem to be fine, too, Sasuke,” Kakashi reported. “Just a few bruises. Here, stop the bleeding.”

Kakashi gave Sasuke a roll of bandages, which the boy pressed to his nose.

Naruto was soon back with the wet towel, and Kakashi carefully wiped Gaara’s wounds clean before wrapping the boy’s head in bandages.

“Rest for a few days, Gaara-kun,” Kakashi advised. “And try not to engage in harsh activity anymore. That goes for you, too, Sasuke-kun.”

Both boys nodded, still wary of each other. Finally, Gaara gathered his courage (and his pride) and approached the Uchiha. He offered a hand, the way he had seen Naruto do so many times when the blond had met new acquaintances.

“You are a worthy opponent, Uchiha Sasuke,” Gaara said stiffly. “And I accept my defeat.”

Uchiha Sasuke nodded coolly. “Likewise, Sabaku no Gaara.”

The two boys shook hands, each recognized a grudging respect for the other. They had ended their brief enmity.

 

Temari tried not to snap at the boy opposite of her as he slowly moved a shogi piece. If her opponent had been Shikamaru, she would not have hesitated to call him out. Alas, this was a kind stranger from the shogi club who had been willing to play a match against her after Shikamaru had mysteriously disappeared (Though, later, she had found him playing outside with the boy from yesterday, with his back facing her. No doubt he was avoiding her, as he had done the entire day).

“There we go,” the boy said, finally finished with moving his piece. “Try to beat that.”

Temari was quickly discovering just what type of person her opponent was. Without much thought, Temari moved a piece and declared checkmate, wiping the smug look off the boy’s face.

“That’s illegal,” the boy said, his eyes narrowing.

Temari resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She had memorized all the ruled Shikamaru had told her yesterday. So, unless Shikamaru had missed one—and she doubted he had—there was no way what she had just done was illegal.

“It’s not illegal,” Temari said politely. “I may be new, but I know the rules of this game.”

 _As do you_ , she almost added.

The boy frowned, looking more than a little flustered. “Oh. Is that right? I must have mistaken it for something else.”

“Yes, perhaps,” Temari said dryly.

The boy seemed not to notice her sarcastic reply. “Well, beginner’s luck, then. You can’t possibly beat me a second time.”

Temari bit back a reply, letting the boy continue his fantasy.

“Another round?” the boy asked, trying to appear nonchalant when really, he sounded eager to regain his lost pride.

Temari shook her head; she had no desire to play another match of a game she knew she would win. Besides, school was almost over.

 _That is how long the boy had taken with his moves_ , Temari thought disdainfully. _It had taken up the entire class period. Honestly, couldn’t he have moved faster? It’s not as if he had some strategy in mind, like Shikamaru. He was just stalling._

Speaking of the lazy boy, Shikamaru was walking back in, quietly talking to his opponent as they discussed strategies. Shikamaru made eye contact with Temari, before blushing and glancing away.

Temari smirked, her assumptions correct. The coward was still embarrassed.

A few minutes later, the bell rang and Temari headed out, not bothering to wait for Shikamaru like she had done previously.

“What happened to you?” Temari asked, stopping short at the sight of her youngest brother and his loud friend.

“It was just a fight,” Gaara said calmly. “Though, I must admit, I had not expected to lose against Uchiha Sasuke.”

“You lost against him?” Temari asked, bewildered. “And you’re sure you’re okay?”

“It’s just a surface wound,” Gaara said. “You know how much they bleed.”

“I’m still worried he might have gotten his brains bashed out, dattebayo,” Naruto said. “Sasuke is deadly when he fights.”

“Some would say the same of Gaara,” Temari replied. “And yet, here we are, with both boys still very much alive. Or, I’m guessing Uchiha Sasuke is alive, if he won against Gaara.”

“He’s fine,” said Naruto. “He got beat up in the face. I’m more worried about Gaara. What if his brain is permanently damaged or something, dattebayo?”

“If Kakashi-sensei says it’s fine, then it’s fine,” said Gaara. “Besides, I feel normal. Please don’t worry too much, Naruto-kun.”

Temari stared in wonder. Thinking on it, no one had ever cared about Gaara like that before. At least, not since Yashamaru.

To add on to that, Gaara wasn’t going into crazy killer mod, like he usually did when he was angry, which he tended to be after being beat. Gaara was even _bleeding_ , which should have spurred the boy on, not that Temari had ever seen him bleed before to know how Gaara would react. But this was her brother, and he was violent and destructive, if anything.

Naruto was patting Gaara on the back now, promising to visit him tomorrow along with Sasuke—who had agreed to meet with Temari at the hotel so they could work on their project together—and Shikamaru, who was reluctant to start working on his project, but Naruto cheerfully gave his word that he would drag Shikamaru by force, if necessary.

Gaara was patiently listening to Naruto, his mouth curving to form what Temari could only describe as a smile. His posture was relaxed, and his eyes were clear. Better yet, he wasn’t talking nonsense like he did when he went into one of _those_ moods.

It seemed Uzumaki Naruto was a good influence on Gaara, after all.

 

“I hate this already,” Kankuro declared, twisting his tie around his neck.

“You’re hopeless,” Temari said, helping her struggling brother sort out his tie. Looping it expertly, she stepped back to admire her work.

“That looks good,” Temari determined. “You even washed the paint off your face.”

“Well, obviously,” said Kankuro. “Baki-sensei would kill me otherwise.”

“I wonder how Uchiha Sasuke looks in a suit,” Temari said thoughtfully.

“Probably better than Naruto,” Kankuro snickered. “I can’t imagine that boy wearing such a thing.”

“I don’t recall you having such a large imagination, anyway,” Temari said, shoving Kankuro aside so she could check herself in the mirror. Deeming herself banquet-appropriate, Temari turned to her last brother.

“Do you need help with that?” Temari asked, sensing the change in Gaara’s normally aloof attitude.

Gaara shyly offered his tie to his sister. “Yes, please.”

Working quickly, Temari finished the task, helpfully relaying instructions so Gaara could do it himself next time.

“Thank you,” said Gaara. “I think Baki-sensei is done. We best not keep him waiting.”

“Of course,” Temari said, and, this time, she led the way out.

 

The roads were wet and slippery, and Baki let out a heavy sigh.

“I just got this car,” Baki complained. “I don’t want to wash it so soon.”

“At least it’s stopped raining,” Kankuro supplied. “And besides, this is Konohagakure. Most of the roads are made of concrete, not dirt. At least you only have to worry about water, and not mud.”

“Which reminds me,” Baki said, gesturing for Temari to open the front compartment, “I bought you umbrellas today.”

Temari took out three umbrellas. They were identical in all but color. Temari didn’t understand why Baki didn’t just buy three of the same things; if they were going to be identical, they might as well be identical in color, too.

With little thought, Temari took the purple one, and gave Kankuro the black one, while Gaara accepted the red one.

“I want the purple one,” Kankuro whined, holding the black umbrella in dismay.

“Well, too bad,” Temari said, sticking her tongue out at her brother. “I’m oldest so I get first choice.”

From behind Baki’s seat and out of the man’s sight, Kankuro flipped his sister off. Temari rolled her eyes.

“Do whatever you want. It doesn’t change anything.”

 

A light rain had started by the time the four Sunagakure citizens arrived at the Uchiha mansion. None of them were impressed by the size; the Fourth Kazekage’s household was larger by far.

Temari trudged out of the car first, her umbrella propped open. Kankuro followed, scowling, while Baki and Gaara brought up the rear.

“You must be Baki-sama, and the Kazekage-sama’s children.” A butler greeted them. He had an umbrella held out, which he quickly realized he would not need, and put it away.

“That’s right,” Baki confirmed, and the butler led them into the mansion and into a side room. The doors were wooden, and a large representation of the Uchiha’s clan symbol decorated it. The butler knocked on the door.

“Fugaku-sama, your guests are here,” the butler announced, before pushing open the door.

Uchiha Fugaku stood up from his desk as the door opened. He was a stern-faced man, with brown hair that went down to his shoulders. His dark eyes were guarded as he faced his guests.

“Welcome, Baki-san,” Fugaku greeted, extending his hand out.

Baki shook it. “Thank you for having us here, Fugaku-san.”

“And you three must be Temari-san, Kankuro-san, and Gaara-san.”

The three children nodded when their name was called, each echoing Baki’s sentiments.

Fugaku nodded in return and gestured for them to go outside. The Uchiha clan leader and head of Konohagakure’s police force led them on a tour of the mansion, explaining the clan’s long history.

“We’ve kept this city safe for years,” Fugaku said. “And we continue to do so. Lord Kazekage-sama can rest assured knowing we will also protect his children.”

“I will be sure to tell him,” Baki replied respectfully.

 

Fugaku finished the tour and the group made their way to the dining hall, where several Uchiha clan members were already gathered. Expensive glassware lined the table, and golden lights hung on the ceilings. The clamor of noise stopped when Fugaku arrived.

One by one, Fugaku introduced the members of his family. Baki smiled politely and did most of the talking, exchanging tiny details on the current situations in Sunagakure and Konohagakure. It was a tedious few minutes, and Kankuro stifled a groan. He was going to die of boredom before they even got seated.

“My wife, Mikoto,” Fugaku said at last, acknowledging the kind-faced woman who had stopped by his side.

“Where’s Sasuke?” Kankuro asked before he could stop himself.

Baki gave him a sharp glance, but did not reprimand him as Fugaku looked mildly annoyed at the interruption of the conversation between the adults.

“He’s patching himself up,” Fugaku disclosed. “I heard he had quite the beating today. By Gaara-san.”

Fugaku’s tone was not angry or insulted; it was more of disappointed, and Kankuro felt a little bad for Uchiha Sasuke. But only a little. He still disliked the other boy.

“It was a fair fight,” Gaara said. “A fight which he rightfully won.”

Fugaku nodded. “He was trained by the best. All Uchiha children learn how to fight when we’re young. Most of us join the police force once we’re of age. The same applies to Sasuke, who will most likely inherit my job.”

“And Itachi?” Baki asked and Fugaku stiffened slightly, his hands curling at his side.

“What about him?” Fugaku replied coldly.

“I’m sorry if it’s a sensitive subject,” said Baki, who did not look like he was sorry at all, “But, as you know, Uchiha Itachi is now an international criminal. He and the some of the other members of the Akatsuki have been vacating areas near our border. Any information about him would be useful in his capture.”

“Everything we know about him is already written down,” Fugaku said, his eyes dangerous. “I’m sure Kazekage-sama has a copy of the files, which you may use in your plans to capture him.”

“Is that all the information?” Baki challenged.

“Yes,” said Fugaku. “If we find anything else, we will be sure to keep you updated. But know this, Baki-san, if Uchiha Itachi turns up at our door, the Uchiha will not help him. We want his capture as much as you do.”

Baki nodded. “Very well.”

More guests had arrived, and it was around six-thirty at night as Fugaku finally led his guests to their chairs, seats that were directly opposite of Fugaku’s direct family. Fugaku sat at the head of the table, with Baki to his left, and Mikoto to his right, which left the three siblings to sit opposite of the empty spot that would be Uchiha Sasuke.

“Where is Sasuke?” Fugaku asked harshly.

“I’m here, Father,” a tired voice announced. Uchiha Sasuke revealed himself, wearing a dark blue suit, with a matching tie.

The boy sat down, ignoring everyone but Gaara, who he gave a nod. His face was no longer smeared in blood, but dark purple bruises marked his face and arms, the only remnants of the previous fight.

The dinner soon started afterwards, and the children ate in silence while the adults continued exchanging formalities.

“I heard you beat Gaara-sama today, Sasuke-san,” Baki said, tired of his conversation with Fugaku and the other Uchiha adults.

Sasuke shrugged. “It wasn’t easy.”

“I would hope not,” said Baki. “Gaara-sama is destined to be the next Kazekage. Someone like him is not so easily beat. It makes me wonder just how much training the Uchiha are giving its next generation. Perhaps too much?”

“If you’re talking about my brother,” Sasuke said heatedly, “Then you surely know he was a prodigy among us. Don’t assume the rest of us will follow in his footsteps.”

“I’m not assuming anything,” Baki said, though his eyes were wary.

“Sasuke won’t follow his brother, will you, Sasuke?” Mikoto asked, worry evident in her voice.

“Of course not,” Sasuke said, and then added in a low tone, “Because I’ll be the one to drag him back here.”

“Speaking of Itachi and the Akatsuki,” Fugaku said. “We never did finish our conversation earlier.”

“Oh?” Baki sipped his wine, watching the other man curiously.

“Since you asked about Itachi,” said Fugaku, “I think it’s only right I ask you about Sasori.”

“Sasori?” Kankuro spoke up, interested now that he had heard his idol’s name mentioned. “Like, Sasori of the Red Sand?”

“The one and only,” Fugaku said.

“I do not understand,” Baki said, frowning. “Why do you ask about him? He went missing several years ago.”

“How can you not know someone from your own country has joined Akatsuki?” Fugaku asked smugly. “Your intel must be weak. Our sources tell us that Sasori is one of Akatsuki’s key members.”

“Maybe your sources are wrong,” Baki said. “Sasori is presumed dead. How can the dead return?”

“Our sources are not wrong,” Fugaku insisted. “Jiraiya-san himself confirmed it to be true.”

“One of the Sannin, huh?” Baki said. “I thought he was busy writing his novels.”

“Among other things,” Fugaku said. “But someone like him doesn’t make mistakes.”

Baki nodded slowly. “I agree. I will be sure to inform Kazekage-sama about this new addition.”

Fugaku nodded in agreement and then waved at the empty plates in front of him. “Let us have some dessert now.”

 


	23. Friendship on a Rainy Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All characters belong to Kishimoto-san.

**Chapter 23: Friendship on a Rainy Day**

It was going to be an unpleasant day; Shikamaru didn’t have to be a genius to know that. Like yesterday, ominous gray clouds blocked the sky. Except, unlike the day before, rain was already pouring down at a constant rate, forming tiny streams and puddles on the streets.

It was the loud splatter of water on the window to Chouji’s bedroom that woke Shikamaru from his comfortable sleep, where he had been dreaming about clouds and shogi, and a lovely day laying on grass. And, to his dismay, when he awoke, he was greeted with the opposite weather.

Shikamaru liked clouds. But only the ones that were lazy and free. The nice, fluffy kinds, not the angry, “I’m-going-to-kill-you-by-blasting-you-with-a-lightning-bolt” kinds.

“I hope you’re not leaving the house today,” Chouji said from where was he was seated on his bed. “I don’t think it’s going to stop raining anytime soon.”

Shikamaru sighed and pulled the borrowed blankets over his head. “Nope. No plans. Just sleep.”

“My mother has some food ready,” Chouji said. Shikamaru could hear the other boy as he got off his bed. “Just come down when you’re awake.”

Chouji waited for a reply, but there was none. Shrugging, Chouji softly closed the door and left.

 

A few hours later, there was an insistent knocking on Chouji’s bedroom door. Shikamaru got up, glaring at the offensive wooden door. There was no way it was Chouji, since this was his room and he would open it without knocking. That left the only other person who would be crazy enough to visit him in this weather (and pinpoint his location since Chouji was too loyal a friend to tell) at this godforsaken time of the morning.

“What do you want, Ino?” Shikamaru snapped, swinging the door open, only to reveal a sheepish looking Naruto.

“Naruto?”

“Hey,” Naruto said, giving Shikamaru an innocent little wave.

“What are you doing here?” Shikamaru asked, not as eager as Naruto.

“I _did_ say we were going to visit Gaara today, didn’t I?”

“ _Chouji_ ,” Shikamaru called out accusingly. “Didn’t I tell you I didn’t want him to find me? That’s why I hid out in your room last night.”

“Sorry,” said Chouji, appearing behind Naruto with a bag of his favorite chips. “I thought he was Ino, and when I opened the door, he just barged right in. Besides, your mother called me just now, and told us to tell you to ‘get out of bed and go be productive with Naruto.’ Oh, yeah, she also threatens to disown you if you go out without bringing an umbrella.”

“I don’t _have_ an umbrella,” Shikamaru muttered. “Not after Ino stole mine yesterday. What did she even do with it?”

“Well, I’ll just go with you since I still have mine,” Chouji volunteered. “Besides, I can visit Asuma-sensei, too.”

For more than once in his life, Shikamaru was grateful for a friend like Chouji. He was the gentle guy who would always stick up for him, and never initiate trouble.

“I can’t believe my mother told you where I was,” Shikamaru said to Naruto as he headed towards the bathroom to wash up. “Troublesome woman.”

Naruto laughed. “Come on, man. It’s already eleven a.m., dattebayo! You can’t sleep any later than that. You’ll miss lunch if you continue sleeping. And since it’s almost lunch, we might as well grab some ramen before we go.”

“No, thanks,” Shikamaru said. Ramen first thing in the morning would probably kill him.

 

An hour later, and with their stomachs full of pasta, the three boys were finally on their way to the Leaf.

Luckily, Chouza had offered them a ride, so the boys didn’t have to trek through mud for half an hour (though it mattered little to Naruto, who had run to Shikamaru’s and Chouji’s houses from his own apartment).

As the boys arrived, Shikamaru spotted Sasuke standing behind the glass door of the hotel, trying to fend off a couple of girls who were no doubt trying to get his number.

“Yo, Sasuke!” Naruto yelled, the first to get out of the car as he sprinted to greet his friend. He hadn’t bothered with an umbrella, and he arrived dripping wet, scaring off the girls in the process.

“You’d have thought they hadn’t seen each other in months or something,” Shikamaru remarked.

“It’s Naruto,” Chouji said. “He loves all his friends a lot.”

“Though some more than others,” Shikamaru noted, thanking Chouza for the ride as he and Chouji got out, huddling under one umbrella.

“What does Naruto even want to do?” Chouji asked, closing his umbrella once they got under the safety of a roof. He wrapped his umbrella in one the plastic bags conveniently located by the entrance.

“Something about Gaara and projects,” said Shikamaru. “But honestly, I’m not too excited to see that boy again. He’s scary. He could kill me with one of those looks of his.”

Chouji shuddered. “I don’t see what Naruto sees in him. He’s the opposite of friendly. He’s even more trouble than Sasuke.”

“That’s an understatement,” Shikamaru said as the two boys followed a few paces behind Naruto and Sasuke, out of their hearing range. “Sasuke likes to pretend the rest of us don’t exist. But Gaara wishes we were all dead.”

Chouji nudged Shikamaru, the cue to stop talking, as the four high schoolers clambered into the elevator.

The elevator door closed, and Shikamaru sighed, anticipating the long ride up. However, before the elevator moved, the door opened again, and a disheveled Asuma walked in.

“Oh? What are you guys doing here?” Asuma asked, pressing the button for the sixth floor. “I don’t think Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun are here to see me.”

“No, Asuma-sensei,” Naruto said. “We’re here to see Gaara, dattebayo!”

“Ah,” Asuma said. He cast a worried look at his pupils. Although he was neither a P.E. or fight club instructor, Asuma, like all the other teachers at Konoha High, had been informed of Gaara’s actions earlier that week, and his tendencies towards violence. Asuma would be lying to say he wasn’t the slightest bit concerned about his students’ wellbeing’s.

“And what were you doing out there in the rain, Asuma-sensei?” Chouji asked.

“Probably visiting Kurenai-sensei,” Shikamaru commented.

“What? No!” Asuma quickly denied. “Why would I do that?”

Shikamaru stared at him. “Because… the two of you are in charge of festival activities for both our clubs…?”

“Oh. Right. Of course,” Asuma said, hastily making his exist as the elevator finally arrived at the sixth floor. “Well, this is my stop. See you on Monday, kids.”

“Did I say something wrong?” Shikamaru asked after Asuma had left. “Don’t they always work together this early for the Halloween Festival?”

Naruto shrugged. “I dunno, dattebayo. You’re the one who’s close to him, not me.”

Shikamaru sighed. There was no point wondering about things that would eventually reveal themselves.

 

“Well, well, if it isn’t Mr. ‘I-forgot-to-close-my-door’.”

Shikamaru groaned, hiding behind Chouji. Talking to Temari on a Saturday was _not_ on his list of things to do.

“What’re you doing, Shikamaru?” Naruto asked, pulling the other boy out from his hiding spot. “It’s rude to not greet people.”

Shikamaru cleared his throat. “Um. Hello.”

He looked around the place, trying to stall while he thought of clever things to say. “Nice place you got here.”

“It looks like any other hotel,” Temari stated matter-of-factly, unimpressed. “I guess Naruto wasn’t kidding about dragging you by force, because I doubt you came here willingly.”

Shikamaru shrugged, trying to maintain a nonchalant attitude, though it didn’t seem to work too well with the slow blush creeping onto his cheeks. “My mother forced me out.”

“Into the rain?” Temari asked skeptically.

“Yeah.”

“Right, then. And hello, Chouji,” Temari said, finally moving her attention away from Shikamaru.

“Hi,” said Chouji. “I hope you don’t mind me coming along without announcing myself, Temari-san.”

“Just Temari,” Temari said. She pointed to a room. “Gaara’s in there, Naruto.”

Naruto immediately detached himself from Sasuke.

“Gaara!” Naruto yelled, banging on the door. A sleep-deprived Gaara opened it.

“Naruto?” Gaara said, squinting at the sudden brightness. “You actually came?”

“Of course, I did, dattebayo!” Naruto said, pulling Gaara out of his dark room and giving the startled boy a hug. “See, I even brought Shikamaru, like I said I would! And Chouji decided to tag along, too, dattebayo!”

“While they have fun, I think we have a project to do,” Temari told Sasuke, who nodded. The two of them headed for the common room.

“What’s all the fuss?” an irritated voice asked. A door opened, and a paint-less Kankuro peeked his head out.

“Woah!” Naruto exclaimed. “Is that Kankuro?”

Kankuro scowled. “Who else would I be?”

“But you look so _normal_!” Naruto said.

“You really want to die, kid,” Kankuro declared. “Did you guys come all the way here just to work on the project or something? Because that’s so lame.”

“It’s not lame. Your sister is working on it,” Naruto pointed out.

Kankuro rolled his eyes. “Those two don’t really like each other, so it’s best for them if they just get it over with as soon as possible. Me and Hinata-chan, though? We respect each other well enough that we don’t need to waste our weekends working on a stupid project. Besides, we have plenty of time.”

“Exactly my point,” Shikamaru grumbled. “There’s no point in Gaara and me working on it this early, either. I don’t recall you talking to Sai about it, either, Naruto.”

Naruto made a face. “Don’t talk to me about him. He’s so annoying.”

“Who?” Kankuro asked.

“Sai,” Shikamaru answered.

“Is he that bad?” Kankuro inquired. “I have him in my elective club class thing, and he seems alright.”

“Maybe for you, but not for me,” Naruto whined. “He’s such a stuck-up, arrogant rich kid.”

“How do you know he’s rich?” Chouji asked.

“He didn’t go to the same junior high's as us,” Naruto said. “So obviously he went to a private school. Also, he told me he went to a private for junior high. But anyways, man, he has to act like he knows everything and always points out how I don’t. He makes me sound lame, dattebayo!”

“You are lame,” said Kankuro.

Naruto ignored him. “There’s no way I’m going to spend extra time with that asshole, dattebayo! Anyways, Shikamaru, I just brought you along in case you wanted to work on it. You don’t have to, but it’s an option. I mean, you always work on projects the last few days right before its due.”

Shikamaru shrugged. “Why stress about it so soon?”

Naruto shrugged in return. “I dunno. I guess we’re all free to play games now, dattebayo. Would you like to join us, Kankuro?”

Kankuro shook his head. “Nah, man. There aren’t that many games here, and everything else includes venturing into the rain. I’m good in my warm room, thank you very much.”

“Your loss,” Naruto said as Kankuro’s door closed. “So, you have any games, Gaara?”

“Games?” Gaara asked, looking a bit surprised at having been called out even though it was his place they were currently at.

“Yeah, you know, games,” Naruto said. “It doesn’t have to be video games. We can play board games, too.”

Gaara frowned. “My siblings have a pack of cards. And I think Baki-sensei has a shogi board.”

Naruto looked at his friend in disbelief. “You’re kidding me, right? _Only_ shogi and cards? Don’t you have any other, more interesting games? Like, we could play Monopoly or Stratego or Battleship, or something?”

Shikamaru smirked. “I don’t mind playing shogi.”

Naruto scowled at him. “Of course, _you_ don’t. You’re an old man at heart, that’s why. However, unlike you, I’m still young, dattebayo.”

“Let’s just play cards,” Chouji interrupted.

Gaara nodded in agreement. He went over to Kankuro’s door, knocking twice.

“What now?” a grumpy Kankuro asked. His expressions immediately changed to one of politeness as he saw it was his brother. “Do you need something, Gaara?”

“May we borrow the cards?” Gaara asked.

“Don’t got ‘em,” Kankuro replied. “I left them with Temari on Thursday.”

Gaara nodded his thanks and turned to Naruto. “Kankuro doesn’t have them. He says Temari does.”

“Great, now I have to see her again,” Shikamaru sighed.

The group made their over to the common room at the end of the hall, where Temari and Sasuke sat hunched over their laptops, busily typing away.

Temari looked up as they approached. “I hope you don’t plan on being noisy over here.”

“No,” said Gaara. “We would just like the cards, please.”

“Oh. Okay.” Temari got up and led the way to her room. Sasuke followed them silently.

Temari opened the door to her room, and Shikamaru couldn’t help but stare in surprise. It was unlike what he had thought it would be like. Her room was plain and neat, and smelled faintly of lavender and sand and wind (Shikamaru hadn’t known the latter two had smells, but he knew for sure whatever was in Temari’s room _had_ to be it).

“What?” Temari asked. “Never seen a girl’s room before?”

“No,” Shikamaru said.

“He means yes,” Naruto corrected. “He’s never seen one, unless you count Ino, but those two are basically siblings.”

Shikamaru shrugged. “I just didn’t expect your room to look like this.”

“Like what?” Temari challenged. She found the deck of cards and tossed them to Gaara, all the while waiting for Shikamaru’s answer.

“Like… an ordinary room,” Shikamaru said lamely. “I mean, true, I’ve seen Ino’s room, but hers is, like, filled with girly stuff. Plus, there’s always way too much perfume in there, and yours… doesn’t.”

Temari rolled her eyes. “You really don’t talk to girls, do you? But hey, I’ll have you know _all_ my clothes are folded away.”

Shikamaru turned pink and Naruto frowned.

“Wait, why?” Naruto asked. “Why does that matter? Was he going to _steal_ them?!”

Sasuke hit him on the head, “Shikamaru isn’t a pervert like you, Naruto.”

“Hey, I’m not a pervert,” Naruto complained. “Even if I was raised by one, dattebayo.”

“Though, you did come to school dressed up like a girl that one time,” Sasuke said.

Temari raised an eyebrow as Naruto quickly defended himself. “That was a long time ago, Sasuke! Stop bringing it up, dattebayo!”

Naruto made for the door, but Temari was faster. She slammed the door shut, and turned to face her victim.

“Now, _this_ , I gotta hear,” Temari said.

Naruto swallowed nervously, pleading with his eyes for Gaara to reason with his sister. Gaara, however, was merely curious.

“You dressed like a girl?” Gaara asked.

Sasuke smirked. “It was back in elementary, when Naruto had no friends.”

“I wonder why,” Temari said sarcastically.

“Back then, no one paid any attention to him, especially Sakura, who he liked,” Sasuke continued.

“Not to say that he still doesn’t,” Shikamaru said.

“But anyways, he was always causing mischief, trying to get people to notice him,” Sasuke said.

“What would he do?” Gaara inquired, getting even more curious as to his new friend’s past. He wondered how Naruto had acted as a child, and how it contrasted from Gaara’s own past.

“He liked to vandalize things,” Sasuke said. “Especially monuments. If there was ever graffiti, it was bound to be him. But that was just the mild stuff. Anyways, one time, he came to school wearing a pink dress, and pretending he was Sakura.”

“Needless to say, Sakura didn’t find it amusing and she made sure to punish him for it,” Shikamaru said. “And this is why women are troublesome.”

Temari and Gaara didn’t laugh, but there was amusement in their eyes.

“I didn’t know you were capable of such a thing,” Temari joked. “You seem the manly type.”

Gaara was nicer than his sister. “It must have been hard for you, Naruto-kun. Do you still do it?”

“What? No!” Naruto protested. “Man, it was a long time ago, okay? I was young back then, and lonely! I just wanted attention, dattebayo.”

“Easy, Naruto,” Shikamaru said, sensing that maybe they had taken things a bit too far. For as tough as Naruto acted, he was still a lonely kid. “We’re here now, and that’s all that matters.”

Gaara nodded. “We are friends, right, Naruto-kun?”

Naruto nodded. “You better believe it, dattebayo!”


	24. New Changes on a Monday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Birthday Shikamaru! And also early birthday to Ino and Shikadai! Though too bad this chapter isn't about their birthdays as the timelines don't match up...
> 
> And, if anyone is curious, here's what I've been up to lately:  
> https://xank214782.tumblr.com/post/165587331311/happy-birthday-shikamaru-922-and-ino-923-a
> 
> All characters belong to Kishimoto-san.

**Chapter 24: New Changes on a Monday**

Sunday had passed by as peacefully as Shikamaru wished, save for Naruto taking the gang out to eat ramen twice, with only an hour gap in between. Now, it was Monday, one of Shikamaru’s least favorite days of the week (with the rest being Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday), and Shikamaru was tempted to convince his mother to call him in sick, but doing such an action was too troublesome for the lazy boy. Besides, Gaara’s five-day suspension started today, and that meant Shikamaru would miss out on a Gaara-free day if he skipped school.

Outside, it was still raining, and Shikamaru wasn’t sure how it could rain for four days in a row. Konohagakure would be flooded at this rate, and they would have to change their name to Kirigakure.

“Shikamaru, did you bring your umbrella?”

“Yes,” Shikamaru lied, hoping desperately his mother wouldn’t bother to check.

There was no response, and Shikamaru sighed in relief. He was off the hook. For now.

Finishing the last of his breakfast, Shikamaru grabbed his backpack and prepared for the dash to Chouji’s house.

As he put a hand on the doorknob, there was the sound of light footsteps, and Shikamaru quickly removed his hand, bending down as if he had been tying his shoes.

“You forgot your lunch,” Yoshino said, and Shikamaru stood up.

“Oh, thanks,” Shikamaru said, accepting the package.

His mother eyed him over. “Why isn’t your umbrella out?”

“I was just about to get it,” Shikamaru said, hoping he looked convincing. He pointed to his shoes. “I just finished tying up my shoes.”

Yoshino nodded, her eyes narrowed. She did not leave, so Shikamaru had no choice but to continue his act. He unslung his backpack from his shoulder, making a show of unzipping it. The pack was now open, and Shikamaru jammed his hand in, pretending to rummage for his absent umbrella.

Yoshino, seemingly satisfied by his act, gave her son a pat, and then left. Shikamaru took his chance to escape, even if it meant braving the rain so soon. But anything was better than confronting his scary mother.

 

Ino, like usual, had already arrived early at Chouji’s house. She was seated in front of the television, changing channels rapidly.

“Where’s my umbrella, Ino?” Shikamaru demanded, shaking water off of himself.

“Your umbrella?” Ino looked up. “Oh. That’s right, your umbrella! I gave it to Temari-chan.”

Shikamaru blinked. “You gave it to _her_?”

Ino nodded innocently, resuming her channel-flipping.

“Wait,” said Shikamaru. “Skipping the fact that you just gave it to her without my permission; if she had my umbrella on Friday, then why didn’t I see it on Saturday? Why didn’t she give it to me then?”

Ino stopped watching the T.V., her eyes fixed intently on Shikamaru. “You were at her place on Saturday?”

“Yeah, didn’t e tell you he was going with Naruto to see Gaara that day?” Chouji said from where he was sitting in the dining room.

“I think he did,” Ino said thoughtfully. “But weren’t you seeing Gaara? How did you meet his sister?”

“Ino,” said Shikamaru exasperatedly. “ _They live in the same place_. They’re siblings, you know?”

Ino shrugged. “Doesn’t mean you had to see her that exact same day at the same time.”

“Your logic is nonexistent,” Shikamaru muttered. “Great, now I have to go talk to her to get it back.”

“You should just let her keep it,” Ino said cheerfully. “You don’t use an umbrella, anyways.”

“My mom will kill me,” Shikamaru reminded.

“Not if you told her you lent it to a girl,” Ino said slyly.

Shikamaru held up his hands in defeat. “Why must you always interfere in my peaceful life, Ino?”

“Because your life could do with some interrupting,” Ino said. “Honestly, you’re just plain boring all the time.”

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. “I prefer it that way.”

 

Shikamaru wasn’t too eager to face the Sunagakure demon girl, but he knew he had no choice, not if he didn’t want to be killed by his mother.

As he walked to P.E., Shikamaru thought of ways to ask for his umbrella back, without sounding like a fool. Except, this was Temari, who always managed to make him look like a fool regardless.

“I wonder what we’re doing today, dattebayo,” Naruto said, looking up at the still-raining sky.

“I hope it’s not basketball again,” Shikamaru muttered. “I hate getting hit with the ball. It hurts.”

“Yeah, well, maybe if you caught it instead, you wouldn’t be hit in the face with it, dattebayo,” Naruto said.

Shikamaru glared at him. “Or, you could tell Sasuke to stop purposely throwing it at me.”

“That’s because you’re the team’s weakness,” Sasuke replied coolly. “You always stand near the boundary, so it’s easy to hit you and have the ball roll out of bounds, which makes the ball ours again.”

Naruto frowned, processing the information. “Hey, that’s not fair! Isn’t that cheating, dattebayo?”

“It’s not,” Sasuke said smugly. “You’re the one stupid enough to pick him for your team.”

The three boys entered the boy’s locker room to get changed, and were received with a view of Gaara standing there, wearing his P.E. shirt and sweats, with a sweater over it.

“Gaara!” Naruto yelled, running towards the boy, who looked like he had been expecting Naruto.

“Naruto-kun,” Gaara answered, somewhat shyly.

Naruto grinned. “What’re you doing here, dattebayo? Aren’t you on suspension or something?”

“Things got adjusted,” Gaara explained. “I’ll be doing three days this week, and two days next, instead of five in a row. My father understands that I must be punished, but he doesn’t want it to interfere with my education. Or that’s what he told Tsunade-sama on Saturday.”

“Well, either way, I’m glad you’re here, dattebayo,” Naruto said. “Let’s be on a team today! We can beat everyone with just the two of us!”

Gaara nodded and Naruto skipped away to his locker to get his clothes.

“He’s unusually enthusiastic today,” Shikamaru said, sighing. He hadn’t expected a reply, but one came nonetheless.

“Unfortunately.”

Shikamaru looked at the other boy. Sasuke was staring at Gaara, a deep scowl ruining his handsome face. Shikamaru wondered what was going on between the two of them. Whatever it was, Shikamaru didn’t want to find out.

 

As it turned out, instead of basketball, they were playing volleyball, which was a slight improvement. Shikamaru was sure getting hit with a volleyball would still hurt a lot. He would have preferred a sport like badminton. That way, he could just hold the racket to his face and hopefully deflect incoming birdies aimed at him.

Instead of letting his students choose the teams they wanted, Guy, who had been secretly assessing his students’ athletic abilities the previous week, split his students up for them.

Naruto ended up on a team with Gaara, which Naruto was more than excited about as he shouted “Yes!” and jumped up into the air. Sasuke ended up on a team with Tenten, while Shikamaru got placed onto Neji’s team along with Kankuro. To Shikamaru’s relief, Temari wasn’t in his group, though she was with Lee and Hinata.

The games began, with Naruto’s team versus Sasuke’s, while Neji’s faced off against Lee’s.

Shikamaru ducked instinctively as Temari, whose team had won first serve, served the ball at him. Neji looked like he was going to murder Shikamaru as he glared at the younger boy.

“Sorry,” Shikamaru said sheepishly.

Neji sighed, disgusted, murmuring something unpleasant under his breath.

As the game continued, it became clear to everyone, most especially Temari, that Shikamaru was useless at volleyball.

As Shikamaru avoided yet another ball, Guy walked over, shouting.

“Come on, Nara-kun!” Guy encouraged, and Shikamaru winced at the volume. “Get a move on! Show some spirit, boy! You can’t let a girl beat you, now can you?”

The last sentence seemed to do the trick as Shikamaru groaned aloud. Guy-sensei had a point. He was a man, as he often reminded himself, and, as such, couldn’t let a girl-majority team beat his boy-majority team, even if the girls in question (mostly just Temari) weren’t exactly his ideal model of a girl. Still, he couldn’t really hurt a girl either…

“Look out, old man!” someone warned, and Shikamaru snapped out of his thoughts just in time to see Temari serve the ball again, and watch the ball sail towards him.

 _Damn, does Temari have good aim_ , Shikamaru thought in awe, before remembering his perilous situation.

Neji made to intercept the ball, but Shikamaru was determined this time. He wasn’t going to let Temari, of all people, defeat him in a simple game of volleyball.

Neji blinked, checking his eyesight, as Shikamaru, in an act so out of character, received the ball, hitting it forcefully back to the other side.

“Well, I guess someone isn’t so bad, after all,” Neji noted, returning his focus to the game.

Shikamaru shrugged, not really listening. His attention was fixed on a single person across the court. He smirked at her shocked expression.

“Old men can play games, too, you know,” Shikamaru called out. “Even better, we’ve got experience on our side.”

 

In the end, Lee’s team won, but it had been a close game the last few rounds, with Shikamaru being the most aggressive anyone had ever seen. Naruto and Kankuro had paused their playing, and had ended up staring at Shikamaru like he was some bizarre alien from space.

“What are you doing, Naruto?” Shikamaru asked, wiping his sweat with his shirt as Guy called an end to the class.

Naruto opened his mouth, and then closed it.

Kankuro answered for him. “What the hell was that, Nara? Not that I didn’t appreciate the effort to win for our team, but that was so _weird_!”

Shikamaru shrugged. “What do you mean? All I did was play.”

“Yeah, exactly!” said Naruto, who had managed to find his voice again. “I mean, I always knew you were good at sports and stuff, but you never move during P.E.! You’re like some stature, or something, and you’re always like ‘Oh, man, this is _so_ troublesome’, dattebayo!”

“I don’t say ‘dattebayo’,” Shikamaru said. “And, anyways, Guy-sensei is right. I can’t have a _girl_ beat me, now can I?”

“You really are a sexist jerk,” Temari said, hitting Shikamaru on the back of the head. “But, I must say, not a bad game, Nara Shikamaru.”

Shikamaru rubbed his head. “Guess I’m not such a lazy old man, huh?”

“You’re still an old man,” Temari confirmed, smirking. “But less lazy now.”

“Can I have my umbrella back?” Shikamaru blurted out abruptly before he lost the courage to ask.

Temari raised an eyebrow. “Sure. I was going to give it back to you during lunch, anyways.”

“Oh. Right.”

“What, did you think I meant to keep it permanently?”

“No,” Shikamaru denied, though he had thought of that.

Temari rolled her eyes, walking towards the girls’ locker room. “Get changed, old man.”

 

Fourth period was much more bearable now that Shikamaru was somewhat back on speaking terms with Temari. He no longer tried to avoid her, though somewhere in the back of his mind, he worried that Temari would bring up the past incident again, just to mess with him. But maybe Ino was right: people didn’t dwell on such things.

By lunch, the rain had stopped, and the sky had started to clear. Shikamaru could see hints of blue sky, and rays of yellow sunshine peeking through. The ground was still damp so that Shikamaru couldn’t retreat to his hideout, not that he had planned on going there in the first place. It was a Monday, which meant Shikamaru and his friends were eating lunch together. This time, it was on the roof of the English building.

By the time Shikamaru got there, all of his friends, save Naruto, had arrived. Sakura, Ino, and Hinata were huddled together on top of a blanket (Shikamaru wondered just which one of the girls had thought to bring a _blanket_ to school; no doubt it had been Ino), talking. Kiba and Shino were sitting on their textbooks, with Kiba cramming to finish what looked like homework, while Shino was on his phone. Sasuke sat to the side, directly sitting on the floor, while Chouji stood up to stand next to Shikamaru.

Shikamaru chose to stand by the edge of the roof, peering up at the sky.

“Anything interesting?” Chouji asked and Shikamaru shrugged.

“Not much,” Shikamaru said. “Just the clouds.”

“Well, look down there,” Chouji said, nodding his head in the direction below.

Shikamaru followed his gaze, and spotted a familiar orange-and-blue outfitted freshman walking with a red one.

“I guess he’s a part of this group now, whether we like it or not,” Chouji said.

Shikamaru nodded. “I’ll never know what Naruto thinks of such people, but he would never make a bad choice, at least not concerning us.”

“Just as long as Gaara-san doesn’t eat my food,” Chouji said, and Shikamaru put a comforting hand on his friend’s back.

“I won’t let him.”

 

The door to the roof opened, and Naruto popped out. “Sorry I’m late, dattebayo!”

Gaara gave a hesitant, guarded wave from behind the blue-eyed boy.

“Oh, hello, Gaara-san.” Sakura was the first to greet the newcomer, with the others following after.

“We always meet on Mondays,” Naruto explained. “It’s a nice way to start off the week, dattebayo.”

“Thank you for having me here,” Gaara said.

“Nonsense!” Naruto exclaimed. “You’re a part of this group now! There’s no need to thank us, dattebayo!”

Gaara nodded slowly, not entirely convinced that he belonged in the group, but no one objected. It seemed Naruto was like their leader. Gaara wondered how Naruto had risen to such a rank. Watching the blond boy walking around, talking to his friends—even if it was arguing with them—Gaara couldn’t help but feel a little defeated. He wanted to be like Naruto; he knew that, but he didn’t exactly know how. How did he make people trust him…?

Naruto was talking to Shino now, though the former looked a tad bit bored as Shino talked to him about something that sounded like some sort of flying bug. However, Naruto replied to everything Shino said, and Gaara wondered if that was the first step to forming bonds: communication.

Gaara decided to try it out. The young Kazekage heir made his way over to the two boys he knew who would not overreact to his presence.

Clearing his throat, Gaara began his objective.

“Hello, Shikamaru-kun, Chouji-kun.”

Both boys spun around, giving their own greetings.

“How are you liking Konohagakure?” Chouji asked politely.

“It is very…peaceful,” Gaara began. “The people here seem to enjoy themselves.”

Chouji nodded in agreement. “I suppose it does seem that way, especially in the school. The rest of the city isn’t one-hundred-percent cheerful, but at least you can enjoy the festival while you’re here.”

“The festival?”

“Yeah,” said Shikamaru. “Konohagakure is famous for its annual festivals. We’ve got one for Halloween, one for Christmas, one for Valentine’s—which is a stupid idea, by the way—one for spring, and one for summer.”

“The responsibilities for each festival are different each time,” Shikamaru continued. “For the Halloween Festival, Konoha High is in charge. Usually, though, the city oversees most festivals.”

“What do you mean you are in charge?” Gaara asked. The only celebrations he remembered back in his junior high were events like dances, but no festivals.

“It just means we’re in charge of it,” Chouji said. “Like, food, and games, and entertainment, and all that. You know how we have our elective classes? Well, those classes are also in charge of the Halloween Festival. So, like, my club will be doing some sort of food booth.”

“And I’m pretty sure the fight club does some type of game,” Shikamaru added. “I’m sure Kakashi-sensei and Guy-sensei will talk about it when the time comes. We also do the Valentine’s Day one, though with our homeroom classes, and not our clubs.”

“I see.” Gaara nodded his thanks. He tried to think of something else to say, but seeing the cautious looks on the two boys, he decided not to bother them any longer. Gaara was patient, though; he had to be, if he wanted people to trust him again. It was going to take a long time, but Gaara was fine with it. After all, it hadn’t taken just one day for him to grow his intimidating reputation.


	25. The Start of Something Troublesome

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops, so maybe you noticed, or maybe you didn't... but Gaara wasn't supposed to be in P.E. with Naruto in the last chapter... I kind of mixed up his schedule. But now I'm just too lazy to correct it, so use your imagination and pretend Gaara wasn't there in the P.E. scene, though everything else remains the same for the most part.
> 
> Also, please expect some potential delays in future chapters. College has started again and I have no idea how busy I will become.
> 
> That's about all I have to say for now. All characters belong to Kishimoto-san. Please enjoy!

**Chapter 25: The Start of Something Troublesome**

Tuesday wasn’t a word Temari always liked, but she had to make an exception for today. Her demon of a younger brother was not attending school, and she and Kankuro would be lying to say they wouldn’t enjoy the brief moment of relaxation.

“So,” Kankuro said, piling into the car and taking shotgun before Temari could. Temari didn’t try to claim her rightful spot back; she was in high spirits today and was looking forward to a normal day.

“What exactly is Gaara going to be doing at home?” Kankuro asked.

Baki started the engine of the car before replying. “He won’t have the day off, if that’s what you’re concerned about, Kankuro-san. Kazekage-sama has requested his teachers to give me their worksheets and assignments. I will be taking over Gaara-sama’s education.”

“It’ll be just like the good ol’ days back in Suna, huh?” Kankuro commented.

“Speaking of which,” Baki continued. “Your father would like for you to continue your private lessons on the weekends. He does not want you to fall behind when you return to Sunagakure.”

Kankuro groaned. “And here I thought we would be free of that once we landed on Konohagakure grounds.”

“Just be grateful I managed to convince him to only do weekends. Originally, he wanted to resume your daily lessons.”

Kankuro narrowed his eyes, and Temari had to agree their father’s actions were suspicious.

“What was the deal?” Temari asked carefully. There was no way their father would willingly loosen his strict educational standards.

Baki looked at her from the rear-view mirror. “In exchange for the discontinuation of your daily academic lessons, your father expects top grades in all your classes.”

Kankuro groaned again. “Of course, he would. What does he want from us? Straight A pluses?”

“Still, it’s easier to do that here than in Suna,” Temari reasoned. “But what about our combat lessons?”

“Those will continue,” Baki said. “We can’t have the three of you kidnapped any time soon, after all.”

Kankuro muttered something under his breath, leaning back in his chair. “This doesn’t seem like a vacation anymore.”

 

The day went smoothly, for the most part. Kakashi was late to homeroom, and he waved cheerfully at his students as he walked in a minute before the bell. Naruto yelled something at him that Temari didn’t quite catch, but she did see Sakura and Shikamaru pull him away.

First period had been extremely boring. Anko had been absent, again, and Kabuto had taken over lessons. He had gone through notes and read excerpts from their textbook. Temari was starting to grow suspicious of her teacher now. Where did Anko go all the time that she would be absent from school…?

Second period was just as equally boring as first. Her teacher, Daikoku, continued his boring lecture about Huckleberry Finn.

Third period was P.E., and Guy had them play more volleyball. The teams were the same as yesterday, but this time, Temari could tell Shikamaru was determined to beat her.

“Come on, Shikamaru!” Kankuro shouted, positioning himself to receive the ball. “Hit it towards me!”

Shikamaru did so, and Kankuro expertly hit the ball over the net. Unfortunately, though Kankuro had enough power, his aim wasn’t all that good. The ball flew towards, Lee, who hurled it back, knocking Shikamaru in the face and sending the younger boy towards the floor. Watching the boy land painfully on the floor, Temari felt a little bad for Shikamaru.

“I’m so sorry, Shikamaru-kun!” Lee shouted apologetically. “Are you okay?”

There was no reply, and Neji and Lee both ran towards the boy to check on him, though for different reasons. Temari almost did so, too, but stopped herself in time. The boys could handle it. Besides, there was Guy, and that’s what teachers were for. She had no reason to check up on Shikamaru.

Neji was the first to arrive, kneeling next to the lying boy and checking his pulse. Shikamaru lay unmoving, his eyes closed.

“Is he _dead_?” Lee whispered frantically. His loud whisper carried throughout the gym, and Guy walked over.

“What seems to be the problem?” Guy asked. From where he was standing, Lee and Neji were blocking his view so he couldn’t see what they were huddled around.

“I think Shikamaru-kun is dead!” Lee exclaimed. “I think I killed him.”

“That’s stupid,” Temari retorted, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. “He wouldn’t die from a hit like that.”

Guy raised an eyebrow at Lee’s statement as he ran towards his students.

“He’s alive,” Neji announced suddenly, calmly standing up.

“Then why isn’t he moving?” Naruto asked, also running towards them.

“Because it _hurts_.”

It was Temari’s turn to raise an eyebrow. From his lack of movement, she had assumed, if not already dead, he had been knocked out.

“Wait, you’re alive, dattebayo?” Naruto said.

“I just said he was,” Neji said sourly. “I did check his pulse, you know.”

“I thought Lee might have knocked him unconscious,” Neji continued. “But, instead, I found him perfectly awake. He just doesn’t want to get up.”

Guy looked at a loss of what to do. “So, Nara-kun is fine?”

“Yes,” Neji said.

Guy knelt next to Lee, examining Shikamaru.

“I’m fine,” Shikamaru mumbled, sitting up. “Man, I was hoping I could just take a nap right here. This game is getting too troublesome for me.”

Temari couldn’t believe her ears. Shikamaru had just frightened the whole class because he had decided the game was “getting too troublesome” and would have preferred to nap than get up? What was wrong with him? Didn’t he know he would worry people?

Guy sighed, his expression mirroring Temari’s own feelings as finished with the examination. “Nara-kun is fine. He might have a few bruises later, but he’s fine, for the most part.”

“Man, Shikamaru, you had me worried, dattebayo!” Naruto accused. “I thought you were dead!”

“He can’t die from volleyball, dobe,” Sasuke said, crossing his arms.

“But stillllll,” Naruto whined. “What if you had died, Shikamaru? What would I do without you?”

“You’d probably fail all your classes,” Shikamaru said. “Or get run over by a car in the middle of the night because you decided it was a good idea to run around the city at 4 a.m.”

Naruto grinned. “Exactly. So, you can’t die just yet, dattebayo.”

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, wincing to his feet. Guy clapped him on the back.

“Back to work, kids.”

 

“Remember, your projects are due in two weeks or so,” Kurenai reminded as the bell for the end of fifth period rang.

Temari and Sasuke exchanged silent looks. Like Kurenai had said, the project had been easy and simple, and they had already finished the entire project on Saturday.

“Psst,” Kankuro whispered unnecessarily as they walked out of the classroom. “Want to do my project for me?”

Temari sighed. “It’s an easy project, Kankuro. Just go do it and get it over with.”

“Well, it was worth a try,” Kankuro said, shrugging. He waved at his older sister. “See you after school, sis!”

Temari watched him run off, confused as to why he was so excited. Was his art club really that fun?

“Alright, students,” Asuma said as Temari, one of the last people, walked into the classroom. “I have some announcements today so none of you are allowed to leave this room until I’m done.”

The room was crowded as both the board game and shogi clubs watched their advisor attentively. Temari looked around, trying to find a place to stand that wouldn’t suffocate her.

“Over here,” someone whispered, and Temari felt her arm being dragged away by an unknown force over to a spot by the open window.

It was a boy, and, by his slight accent and darker skin, Temari assumed he was an exchange student, too.

“You’re Temari-sama, right?” The boy asked quietly, and Temari nodded.

“Wow, it’s an honor to meet you,” the boy said. “My grandparents were originally from Sunagakure, and they’ve got a lot of respect for the Kazekage and all those related.”

“I see.” Temari didn’t know who the boy was, but she wasn’t too eager to make new friends now, even if it was someone from her own country. Asuma was saying something about a project or something, and Temari strained to hear over the boy’s chattering.

“Oh, right, I’m getting ahead of myself,” the boy said. “I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’m an exchange student from Wind, just like you, though not from such a grand city like Sunagakure.”

The boy laughed, and Temari cringed a little. Why was this boy bothering her? If he knew who she was, like he claimed, then he knew better than to mess with her.

“Anyways, the name’s—”

“Shikamaru!” Asuma’s voice cut through the boy’s talking, and Temari smirked. She couldn’t see where Shikamaru was in the room, but Temari would bet anything that he was sleeping.

“Stop sleeping, and pay attention,” Asuma scolded. There was a heavy sigh, heard by everywhere, and Temari couldn’t help but laugh a little. No doubt he was saying “troublesome” under his breath.

“Anyways, as I was saying, the Halloween Festival is coming up,” Asuma said. “I know it’s still more than a month away, but I like to be prepared. We never know what accidents might happen while we’re doing this.”

“Halloween Festival?” Temari asked, confused. She was musing to herself, but the boy—what had been his name again? —heard her, and answered.

“Oh, you haven’t heard about it yet, Temari-sama?” the boy said, seeming way too enthusiastic for the opportunity to talk. “In Konohagakure, they hold annual festivals. It’s a popular event. I read all about it in this one book I bought at the airport—”

“Just stop,” Temari interrupted, giving up all pretenses of politeness. “Asuma-sensei is talking, and I’d like to hear what he’s saying.”

“Oh. Right.” The boy looked a little crestfallen, but Temari didn’t care. She had already stopped paying attention to him.

“As the veterans in these two clubs know,” Asuma was saying, “Every Halloween, our two clubs join with Kurenai’s two clubs to create a large food booth. Our four clubs work together to create and maintain a booth that will be selling food. Though, I say booth, but in reality, it’s more of a restaurant. Some of you will be in charge of cooking, others preparation, while some might be serving the food and acting as waiters.”

Asuma pointed to the whiteboard, where Temari just noticed pieces of paper were taped onto. “As you can see, I have sign-up sheets available here. The jobs will be given on a first come, first serve basis. Everyone must sign up on one of these papers, or else I will be docking off points from your grades. In Kurenai’s room, she also has similar papers. Each job category will be composed of members from both my clubs and her clubs, and I expect you all to work together _peacefully_.”

Asuma paused to glare at some student in the back, who shrugged.

“In a few days, I will finalize the sign-up sheets, and Kurenai and I will post the resulting groups on our door. We’ll be meeting with Kurenai’s clubs for the remainder of this week, and deciding on themes and dishes, and all that. Any questions?”

A girl raised her hand.

“Yes, Shiho?” Asuma called out.

Shiho adjusted her glasses. “But, sensei, none of the papers are labelled. How will we know which papers are for which jobs?”

“Asuma-sensei doesn’t want us to choose,” a veteran member spoke up. “He likes messing with us like this.”

Asuma smiled. “He’s correct. As you can see, the papers are in different colors, and only Kurenai and I know which colors are for which jobs.”

“So, you just want us to do this by chance?” another student asked, and Asuma nodded.

“That’s right.”

Asuma looked around, and seeing no other questions, dismissed his students. Temari immediately made her way over to the front of the room, where she guessed Shikamaru was. Much to her chagrin, the boy followed behind her.

“Wait up, Temari-sama!” the boy said. “Let’s sign up together!”

Temari resisted the urge to growl. Ignoring the boy behind her, she confronted the sleeping boy in front. However, to her surprise, Shikamaru was not sleeping.

“Shikamaru-kun,” Shiho said, fidgeting with her glasses a little. “Do you want to sign up together?”

Shikamaru shrugged. “I guess. But not now. Asuma has a way with these things. It’s not random, as he claims. There’s a trick to it. He probably has hints hidden around the classroom.”

“Oh, so do you have it all figured it out?” Temari asked, startling Shikamaru, whose back had been turned to her.

“O-oh, Temari,” Shikamaru swallowed, recovering from his initial shock. He glanced at the boy behind her. “Is it me, or is he trying to talk to you…?”

“Just you,” Temari replied curtly.

“Right,” Shikamaru said, unconvinced. However, it wasn’t his problem to deal with. He looked around the classroom, before getting up.

“Come on,” Shikamaru said. “We have some clues to find.”

Temari wasn’t sure who he was talking to, but both she and Shiho (as well as the boy whose name Temari still couldn’t remember) followed him.

“So,” Temari said, trying to make conversation with Shiho as Shikamaru started examining the walls. She was still ignoring The Boy—she had chosen to call him that, as she still didn’t know his name—who still hadn’t taken the hint that, no, she did not want to talk to him. “You’re Shiho?”

“Yes,” Shiho replied. “And you must be Temari-sama.”

“Just Temari,” Temari said. She was getting tired of correcting people. It was fine and all when the people calling her that were annoying peasants from Suna (mostly suitors who wanted her title more than her), but she was in Konoha now, and surrounded by kids who had little idea of what she was like, and could be potential friends.

“Are you… close with Shikamaru-kun?” Shiho asked, watching as Shikamaru flipped open a binder on Asuma’s desk. Asuma, miraculously, was on the other side of the room and did not notice the young Nara shifting through his papers.

“Not really,” Temari admitted. She frowned. “Why?”

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Shiho said quickly. “I’m just curious since I see him with you a lot.”

“I see.” Temari decided to classify the girl as a stalker, considering how Temari hadn’t seen Shiho before, besides in Asuma’s fourth period. There was no way she was going to be friends with someone like her. Why was she even following Shikamaru around anyways?

Shikamaru had moved away from Asuma’s desk, and was now examining the other walls, where math related posters and papers were tacked up.

“Aha!” Shikamaru exclaimed, holding up a piece of paper.

“And, what _exactly_ did you find?” Temari asked mockingly. “A piece of paper? Great, it looks like all the other pieces on the board.”

“No, I meant look at what’s underneath that,” Shikamaru said.

Shiho was the first to arrive by his side, and Temari felt a surge of annoyance. Who was Shiho to look at the hidden clue or whatever, before her?

“It’s a code,” Shiho said excitedly. “I think I might be able to crack it.”

“Exactly,” said Shikamaru. “That’s why I have you here.”

Temari frowned skeptically. “Right, like she can totally just decipher a random code you found on Asuma-sensei’s desk that might not have anything to do with the festival.”

“I mean, she is an expert on codes,” Shikamaru said. “She won an award or something last year in this competition, I think. I trust her to be able to decode this.”

Temari made a face behind their back. “Decode it, my ass.”

“It does look hard to solve,” The Boy said.

Temari internally groaned. “Yes, it does.”

“Do you think you could solve it, Temari-sama?” The Boy asked. “I’ve heard you’re really intelligent.”

Temari decided The Boy was even more of a stalker than Shiho. “And where did you hear that?”

“Everyone back home talks about it,” The Boy said. “The Sand Siblings are all incredible. Is it true that Gaara-sama can—”

“Please. Stop.” Temari said, gritting her teeth. Pestering her was one thing, but pestering her about her family? That was one thing Temari did not want to deal with.

The Boy looked hurt, but Temari ignored him, watching as Shiho scribbled on a piece of paper.

“These are the jobs and their associated color,” Shiho announced, and Temari was glad for the distraction.

Shikamaru held up the decoded message.

“It’s a good thing you managed to do it, Shiho,” Shikamaru said. “I wouldn’t want to end up as a waiter.”

“But think how cute you would look in the outfit,” Temari teased before she could stop herself, and Shikamaru turned to her, annoyed.

“I don’t want to look ‘cute’,” Shikamaru said. “I want to be in a job that won’t put me in the way of troublesome people.”

Shikamaru handed the decoded message to Temari. “Anyways, I’m going to sign up now. Hopefully, the one I want isn’t filled up yet.”

The group of students made their way to the front, thinking about the jobs they wanted.

From behind them, Asuma smiled craftily. His young genius of a student had fallen into his trap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, any thoughts on what Shikamaru, Temari, Chouji, Ino, Hinata and Sakura will end up doing...?


	26. Temari Is Annoyed (And No One Knows Why)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, well, first off, I'd like to apologize for this supperrrr late update. I've been pretty busy, but hopefully I'll be back on track after this chapter. Also, since I'm now officially a year older, I decided to celebrate by updating all my fics, which is why this chapter is out now!  
> But anyways, this chapter is kind of shorter, and nothing much happens... but we'll be seeing what Shikamaru and co end up doing in the next chapter, so wait til then!  
> All characters belong to Kishimoto-san.

**Chapter 26: Temari Is Annoyed (And No One Knows Why)**

“Woah, hold up,” Temari said, stopping Shikamaru and Shiho in their tracks. Shiho merely looked confused, while Shikamaru looked irritated, though Temari ignored it, since she associated that with his default expression.

“How can you be sure this is accurate?” Temari asked, raising an eyebrow at the duo.

Shikamaru shrugged, looking offended. “I’m always correct.”

Temari rolled her eyes. “I know you’re smart and all, but I fail to see how a bunch of random clues like this is supposed to help us.”

“She’s right,” The Boy said. Part of Temari wished he hadn’t spoken up at all. She had been perfectly fine pretending he didn’t exist. “Why would Asuma-sensei even go through all this trouble?”

Shikamaru sighed, as if he was trying to explain how to add numbers. “I know Asuma-sensei. I’ve known him for a long time, and this is the type of thing he does every single year for his clubs. He likes to mix it up so we don’t know what’s what.”

“And how do you know he’s not messing with you now?” Temari demanded. “It’s like you say; you’ve known him for a long time, but he’s also known you for just as long, and so, wouldn’t he purposely set up something like this just to get at you?”

Shikamaru opened his mouth to protest, and then closed it abruptly. Temari could almost see the gears in his head turning as he thought about her proposition.

“Some genius you are,” Temari muttered sarcastically.

“Well, I think you’re pretty smart, too, Temari-san.”

Temari faked a smile at The Boy behind her, and Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

“Fine,” Shikamaru said, after another moment’s pause. “I’ll refrain from signing up today, but not because you said so.”

“I never said that,” Temari interrupted.

“You were implying I shouldn’t sign up today,” Shikamaru pointed out. “But, anyways, you do make a good point. Also, I need to know what Chouji and Ino sign up for, so I can make sure to end up in the same group as them.”

“You really do take the easy way out of everything, don’t you?” Temari asked.

Shikamaru shrugged, waving his hand lazily about. “Since we’re not signing up, we might as well go outside to play.”

Temari wasn’t sure who exactly he was inviting to go out with him, but all three of them followed him as he went outside with Asuma’s shogi board.

He set down the board and prepared the pieces for a new game. Once he finished, Shikamaru sat down on the grass, and then looked up at them.

“You know, only two can play a game at a time,” Shikamaru said. He looked at Shiho. “And I already agreed to play with Shiho today.”

Temari frowned, taken aback. Shikamaru _always_ played with her. Since when did he play with Shiho…?

“You…did?”

“Yes.” Shikamaru’s reply was curt and his focus was on the board in front of him.

“And you didn’t think to ask me how I would feel about that?” Temari demanded, unsure as to why she was so angry.

Shikamaru didn’t seem to know either as he looked at her, frowning. “I wasn’t aware I was supposed to ask you.”

Temari rolled her eyes. “We always play together, and then, suddenly, you decide to kick me out and play with someone else.”

“We don’t always play together,” Shikamaru corrected. “It’s true we played together for the majority of last week, but that was just last week. There’s nothing wrong with me switching a partner for a day. I don’t recall us signing a contract to be partners for the entire year.”

“Fine,” Temari grumbled, crossing her arms. Shikamaru sighed, muttering something about troublesome women under his breath. He gestured to the board in front of him.

“Let’s get started, Shiho.”

Shiho nodded, taking a seat opposite of him. Temari debated what to do. She clearly wasn’t invited at the moment, and she hadn’t thought to bring a game out (not that she was in any mood to play with The Boy).

“You’re more than welcome to watch us play, Temari-san,” Shiho interrupted Temari’s thoughts politely, though by the hostile look she gave Temari, she didn’t really mean her words. Temari decided to play along.

“I’d love to,” Temari said, putting on a forced smile as she purposely sat down next to Shikamaru, who didn’t appear to notice the tension between the two girls.

The Boy stared between the two of them, before making up his mind. He cleared his throat, shifting awkwardly in his spot.

“I think I’ll, uh, head back inside,” he said. “I just remembered I was supposed to play with someone today.”

No one stopped him as he hurried back inside.

 

“Uh… why are you glaring…?” Kankuro asked.

He had stayed after school today to work on his puppet in the art club. After reaching a satisfying checkpoint, he had decided to end work on the puppet, and had went to look for Temari, who had notified him she would wait for him after school by the shogi club. When he had arrived, his sister had been sitting a little ways apart from a pair of students, one of them Kankuro had recognized as Nara Shikamaru. Temari had immediately gotten up and said a hasty farewell to the two, before following Kankuro.

“I’m not glaring,” Temari growled. The two of them were now well out of the shogi club members’ hearing ranges.

Kankuro took a step back. “I mean, I’m just saying, you look like you were glaring in their direction the entire time.”

“I was not.”

“I’m not saying you were,” Kankuro said. “I just said, it _looked_ like you were.”

Temari sighed, and Kankuro swallowed, unsure what his sister was about to.

“Let’s just get back already,” Temari said stiffly. “It’s late.”

“It’s only been an hour since school ended,” Kankuro said. “So, no, it’s not really late.”

“Well, it’s not like you have any other plans,” Temari snapped. “And don’t forget, Baki-sensei wants us to continue our lessons.”

Kankuro groaned. “I hate lessons. They’re torture.”

“That’s only because Gaara always kicks our asses.”

“Yeah, true, but still.”

The two siblings fell into comfortable silence, and Kankuro could tell his sister wasn’t agitated anymore (though, of course, she would have denied she had been angry in the first place if Kankuro had voiced his thoughts).

“So, got any plans this weekend?” Kankuro asked, saying the first thing that came to his mind. His sister gave him a look.

“Are you really asking me that?”

“No,” Kankuro admitted. “I just wanted to talk about something.”

“Maybe we should talk about your project,” said Temari, and Kankuro took the hint.

“Right.” They had reached the hotel, and Kankuro sprinted for the elevator. Temari rolled her eyes and ran after him, causing dirty looks to fly their way, but she ignored them, getting into the elevator just as the door was about to close.

Kankuro was jamming the button with his finger, trying to get the door closed before his sister could arrive, and he didn’t seem to notice as Temari raised an eyebrow at him, already in the elevator.

“You’re going to break it.”

“Ah! Temari!” Kankuro jumped, startled. “Fancy seeing you here!”

“Kankuro. Did you really think you could get away?” Temari asked, unamused by his antics.

Kankuro laughed nervously. “Maybe.”

Temari rolled her eyes. “You’re ridiculous, you know that?”

“Yeah, you only tell me every few seconds,” Kankuro said.

Temari rolled her eyes again. “Hey, but seriously, you should work on your project soon.”

“I know.” Kankuro sighed. “I don’t want to, though.”

“You need to do well on it. You know how Father will get if your grade drops even a little.”

“I know,” Kankuro said again. “It really sucks being his kids sometimes.”

Temari nodded in agreement, and the two Sunagakure citizens were silent again. Kankuro was staring at the floor dejectedly, and Temari decided it was time to change the subject.

“Did your club decide anything for the upcoming festival yet?”

Kankuro looked up. “Festival? What festival?”

“Konohagakure has a festival for Halloween every year,” a new voice spoke up. The two siblings turned towards the direction of the voice. The elevator door was open, and Gaara was standing in front of them, his arms crossed, but his expression wasn’t menacing.

“Welcome back,” Gaara added, almost like an afterthought.

Temari and Kankuro nodded uncertainly as they got out of the elevator.

“Were you waiting for us?” Temari asked, noting how still Gaara was.

“Yes. Baki-sensei wants you to start training as soon as you’re free.”

Temari shrugged. “Fine by me. Homework can wait.”

She looked to Kankuro expectantly.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll join you,” the middle child said, setting his backpack down.

“There’s a training room set up on the twelfth floor,” Gaara informed them. “Baki-sensei and I will be waiting there.”

The other two nodded, heading into their respective rooms to change.

 

Ten minutes later, the three siblings were stationed in front of Baki, each holding some type of ranged weapon. Gaara held a knife, while Temari and Kankuro had a shuriken and kunai, respectively. They were all dressed in comfortable clothes that clung to their bodies, but not so tight that their movements would be restricted. Kankuro had learned the hard way to never wear loose articles of clothing. He winced, remembering the memory of Gaara pulling on the collar of his shirt and nearly choking him.

“Go ahead, whenever you’re ready,” Baki said, nodding his head in the direction of the moving targets that had been set up in front of them.

Kankuro was the first to move, expertly throwing his kunai across the room. It landed neatly on a target’s face.

Temari rolled her eyes, but she refused to be outdone by her brother. Taking another shuriken from the stack behind her—Kankuro briefly wondered where Baki had gotten the weapons—she flung one after the other, watching smugly as both landed on the same target, one at the heart, and the other on the neck.

“Really? The neck?” Kankuro said incredulously. “Why would you aim for there?”

Temari shrugged, grabbing more shuriken. “If I recall correctly, humans can die from a neck wound just as well as if they were stabbed in the heart.”

Kankuro shuddered. “Remind me not to get on your wrong side. Ever.”

“It might be too late for that,” Gaara remarked quietly as he tested the weight of the knife in his hand.

Kankuro couldn’t tell if Gaara was being ironic or not, so he opted not to comment. Instead, he returned to his throwing practice, watching from the corner of his eye as Gaara threw two, three, four knives at a target. The knives clashed against each other, each fighting to dig into the target as they hit the same spot.

“Kankuro, focus!” Baki’s voice cut through Kankuro’s thoughts, and the boy hurriedly picked up another kunai.

“I am focused!” Kankuro said, releasing his kunai. “See? Very focused.”

Baki raised an eyebrow at him, noting where the kunai had landed—right in between the target’s legs.

“How mature of you,” Temari said sarcastically, also observing where the kunai had landed.

“Think about how painful that is for the other person,” Kankuro argued. “Isn’t this way more effective than hitting their neck? They won’t even die like this. I think.”

“And you call me cruel,” said Temari, grimacing.

Kankuro shrugged, grinning a little. “Hey, just because we have to train, doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun while doing so!”

Temari didn’t seem to agree, but Kankuro didn’t mind. His sister rarely agreed with him.

“You know, since we’re throwing knives and stuff,” Kankuro began, “Don’t you think it would be fun to invite Naruto and his friends over and test them?”

“What part about that is _fun_?” Temari asked. She could already feel a headache coming on as she imagined the loud-mouthed freshman running around, throwing dangerous weapons about with no care. All his friends were loud, and Temari wasn’t sure she wanted to deal with that. _Well, except for Shikamaru. And maybe Chouji and that one kid who always has his hood on and his weird obsession with bugs._

“But, come on, Temari,” Kankuro whined, throwing another kunai as Baki shot him a glare. “It’ll be so fun to wipe the arrogant look off Uchiha Sasuke’s face!”

“I doubt he’ll miss,” Gaara said suddenly. His voice surprised Kankuro so much that Kankuro accidently threw his kunai towards Baki. Baki neatly deflected it with his knife, giving Kankuro another warning glare.

“You really need to be careful,” Temari said. She set down her shuriken. “Let’s switch.”

Kankuro, who was tired of throwing kunai already, was more than happy to do so.

“But, anyways, as I was saying, it’ll be fun!” Kankuro said. “We can see just how talented these Konoha wimps are.”

“Isn’t that a bit contradictory?” Temari said. “Talented wimps?”

“Wimps can be talented,” Kankuro defended. “I mean, think about Nara. He’s such a wimp, but he’s talented, isn’t he? I mean, hello, we just had volleyball with him today.”

Kankuro noticed how his sister cringed a little at the reminder of the events from P.E. today. His and Nara Shikamaru’s team winning against hers had probably hurt her pride more than she cared to admit.

“Cheer up, sis,” Kankuro said, feeling a little bad. “Just invite Nara over, and you can kick his ass then.”

Temari smiled thinly at him, and Kankuro figured he should probably shut up. He wasn’t sure why Temari was so annoyed by the idea, though. Normally, she liked such a challenge. Maybe she considered Nara Shikamaru to be way beneath her? Perhaps he should just stick with inviting Naruto only. Kankuro was sure that at least Gaara wouldn’t mind it.

Humming a little to himself, Kankuro proceeded with the rest of his practice.


	27. Your Joke is Not Appreciated, Asuma-Sensei

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annd here's an update! I think... I might actually be back on track now? ? Well, technically midterms are over so I have free time again, but still, hopefully, I can keep to the regular schedule again.
> 
> But anyways, I'm introducing some more Temari/Shiho interactions now. Shikamaru swears he doesn't like her. But how does Temari feel about that though...?
> 
> Also, I kind of started another Naruto fanfic lol. I couldn't resist. It's set in the Star Wars universe, so if you want to see Jedi Naruto and Sasuke, and a bold bounty hunter Shikamaru attempting to flirt with a very unamused ambassador Temari, then you might wanna take a look?
> 
> Anyways, here's chapter 27 (We're almost to 30 chapters!). Hopefully, things will start to pick up plot-wise.
> 
> All characters belong to Kishimoto. Well, maybe not the random background characters with no names.

**Chapter 27: Your Joke is Not Appreciated, Asuma-Sensei**

Wednesday passed by surprisingly quickly, and soon, it was Thursday. Shikamaru sat in his seat in the back of Asuma’s room, dreading what Asuma had in store for him for the Halloween Festival. He desperately prayed to whatever gods were out there that he wouldn’t end up in some troublesome job, but by the triumphant looks Asuma shot his way when he thought the boy wasn’t looking, Shikamaru knew he was in for two months of torture.

“Hey, cheer up.”

Shikamaru picked his head off the desk—which was no small task—and gave the girl standing before him a baleful look. It was Shiho, luckily, and he received no punishment for his lack of response.

Shiho sat down next to him. “You seem nervous. It’s just the festival. There’s no need to get worked up over it. It’s supposed to be a fun event.”

“My idea of fun is staying at home and sleeping,” Shikamaru grumbled. He placed his head back on the desk.

“Can you wake me up when Asuma starts talking?”

“Sure,” Shiho promised and Shikamaru sighed. Shiho was proving to be way better company than a certain blond girl from Suna. As if on cue, a dominating presence made its way over and Shikamaru cringed a little, knowing she was about to throw insults. However, he kept his head down and his eyes closed, even as he felt her eyes train on him.

“Sleeping already, lazy ass?”

Shikamaru made no response, pretending he was already asleep. Temari didn’t seem to be fooled, and Shikamaru wondered if maybe he had been spending a little too much time with her lately.

“You know I know you’re not actually asleep, right?”

Shikamaru lifted his head, meeting Temari’s annoyed gaze.

“I know. It doesn’t stop me from trying, anyways.”

Temari rolled her eyes and sat down on Shikamaru’s other side.

“You’re early today, Temari-san,” Shiho said.

Temari shrugged, narrowing her eyes as if Shiho had offended her… which Shikamaru guessed might have happened considering Temari’s personality. Still, Shikamaru had noticed a strange tension between the two, and he couldn’t really figure it out. The two of them were barely in any classes together, at least none that he himself wasn’t also in, and he had never seen the two, or at least Shiho, being disrespectful to the other. Shiho was one of the nicer girls. She was quiet, and intelligent, and eager to help. Shikamaru liked girls like her; they were way easier to deal with than the ones he personally knew.

“This is my normal time,” Temari replied coolly, though Shikamaru saw how her shoulders had tensed up.

Shiho smiled politely. “Right. My apologies. It’s just, in the past few days, you came near the end.”

“The past few days.” Temari repeated. “By which you mean yesterday and the day before? Because I recall arriving around this time for all other days.”

“Look, Temari, we get it; you’re not normally late,” Shikamaru cut in. He had grown up with Sakura and Ino, and if there was one thing he recognized, it was the beginnings of a petty argument, which this surely was going to turn out to be.

Temari glared at him but backed down, crossing her arms and gazing out the window. She seemed unusually ticked off today, and Shikamaru didn’t really want to deal with it.

Sighing heavily, Shikamaru resumed his resting position, hoping no more trouble would come for the rest of the day.

There was a nudge from Shiho, and Shikamaru sat up, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

Temari rolled her eyes. “I don’t understand how you can fall asleep for just a few minutes.”

“I have my ways,” Shikamaru said, but his attention had drifted away from her, and towards the door, where a crowd of students could be seen standing outside.

“Alright, kids,” Asuma said, standing by the door. “Let’s get out here and start this meeting.”

Asuma’s kids, comprised of the more introverted types, all groaned as they trudged outside to sit in the sun. Kurenai’s two clubs were already seated, and Kurenai herself was standing in front of them, waiting patiently for Asuma and his club members to come out.

After everyone had seated themselves, Asuma and Kurenai began talking.

“So, we’ve sorted you into your jobs,” Asuma said, holding a piece of paper in his hand. “I’ll pass this around, so you guys can take a look at it.”

He handed the paper to the nearest student, and Kurenai picked up where he left off.

“Since we came up with a respectable number of dishes yesterday, we won’t be doing that today. Instead, I want you to find the rest of the members of your group, and work together to figure out what to do. Asuma and I will hand out some information about your jobs, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask us.”

“Basically, take today to get to know the students who will be working with you,” Asuma added, “And remember, _try to get along_.”

There were some snickers from Kurenai’s club members, and a few eye rolls from Asuma’s. The two teachers dismissed them, and the students split off.

 

Shikamaru soon found himself caught between Ino and Sakura, who were arguing about which one of them was the better cook.

“Oh, please,” Ino scoffed, “We all know you have little talent for anything non-medical related.”

“That’s not true,” Sakura retorted. “Though, I could say the same for you. The only thing you know are flowers.”

“At least flowers are pretty,” Ino said. “Just like me. Too bad that will never be you, especially with that ugly forehead of yours.”

Sakura scowled at her. “At least I can put my medical skills to practical use when Sasuke-kun gets injured.”

“Don’t you _dare_ lay a hand on him!” Ino gasped. “He’s mine!”

Shikamaru caught Chouji giving him a pleading look and shrugged. He had already prevented a fight between Temari and Shiho today; it wasn’t in him to stop another one.

Chouji cleared his throat awkwardly. “Hey, now. I’m sure both of you are excellent cooks.”

Shikamaru shook his head at Chouji’s choice of words. It had been the wrong thing to say as both girls whipped their heads in his direction.

“But which one is better?” Ino demanded. “It’s obviously me, right?”

“Don’t feel pressured to lie just because you’ve known her longer,” Sakura said. “Don’t you remember that one time we all went to my house to bake cookies and she nearly burned them all?”

Chouji swallowed, not sure what to say. He couldn’t exactly argue with either of them, nor could he agree with them.

“Oh!” Ino exclaimed suddenly. “Why don’t we have a cooking competition, and Chouji can be the judge?”

“Why is he the judge?” Sakura argued. “Won’t it be biased?”

“Oh, please, it won’t matter if you can cook better than me,” said Ino. “Which you can’t.”

Chouji held up his hands. “Woah, hold on a second. I’m not going to be the judge for anything. You guys tried that last time and it wasn’t very fun. I’m not doing it again.”

“But come on Chouji, wouldn’t you like free food?” Ino coaxed. “We’ll cook your favorite dishes.”

“Ino, you really are manipulative,” Shikamaru muttered.

Ino flashed him a smile. “Well, what can I say, I have my hidden talents.”

“Hidden. Right.” The paper had reached them now, and Shikamaru looked up his and Ino and Chouj’s names. To his relief, they were all in the same group. But, as Shikamaru continued scanning the paper, his eyes shifted up towards where their job description was.

“Uh, are you okay, Shikamaru?” Chouji asked. “You look like you just saw something unpleasant.”

“That’s because I did,” Shikamaru groaned, handing the paper over for his best friend to look.

“Extra?” Chouji said, reading the word. “What is that?”

“It means we’re in charge of doing everything,” Shikamaru elaborated. “We’re the extra group. So, if anyone needs help, we have to help.”

“That’s not too bad, is it?” Ino asked. “I mean, how often would the other groups need help?”

“You’d be surprised,” said Shikamaru knowingly. “Also, since we’re extras, we also have to help out with cooking and meal preparation.”

“So, basically we landed the job with the most work?” Temari asked from behind him, and Shikamaru half-jumped, half-turned around. He had forgotten she was in the same club as he, and she seemed to know that, too, as she stood in front of him, her arms crossed across her chest, frowning.

“You’re in the same group as me?” Shikamaru asked, before mentally face-palming himself for asking such a stupid question. The two of them, along with Shiho and that one boy who kept following Temari around like a lost puppy, had all signed up yesterday on the same paper.

“Well, duh,” Temari said, looking unimpressed. “It’s not like we signed up together.”

Ino’s face lit up at the sight of the Sunagakure girl, and Shikamaru wanted to hide. He knew Ino still had delusions about him liking Temari, which was ridiculous. Because he didn’t.

“Oh, so you’ll be working with us, Temari-chan?” Ino questioned.

Temari nodded hesitantly, clearly still unused to being called in such an affectionate way. Shikamaru figured she was most likely used to people being super formal around her, but this was Ino, and Ino wasn’t one for stiff formalities.

“I look forward to working with you, Shikamaru-kun,” another voice added to the conversation and Shikamaru looked to his left, to the quiet girl in glasses. Shikamaru smiled at her, a rare sight, but he couldn’t help himself. He was glad that Shiho would be with him; he needed people like her and Chouji to keep his sanity in check while Ino, Temari, and Sakura duked it out, though not necessarily against each other.

“So do I.” Shikamaru agreed amiably. Chouji was standing off to the side uncertainly, and Shikamaru pulled him over, introducing the two to each other.

“Chouji, I don’t know if you remember, but this is Shiho.”

“Yeah, I do,” Chouji said. “It’s hard to forget the two smartest kids our year.”

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. “You’re forgetting Sasuke and Sakura.”

“I mean, yeah, sure they’re smart, but those two are a different type of smart,” Chouji said. “They’re book-smart, but you two are just talented.”

Shiho flushed a little at the compliment. “Thank you, Chouji, but honestly, Sakura-chan is way smarter than me. I’m just good at codes, nothing else.”

Chouji smiled.

 “I think I like you more though. Sakura can be a bit...” Chouji paused, searching for the right phrase, and Shikamaru offered up a word.

“Headstrong?”

“No, I meant to say, competitive,” Chouji concluded.

“That, too,” Shikamaru acknowledged. “It’s like all the women we know are like that.”

“Not Hinata-chan,” Chouji pointed out.

Shikamaru nodded. “No, not her. Speaking of which, where is she, anyways?”

“She’s helping Kurenai-sensei,” Chouji supplied. “She offered to personally help her.”

Shikamaru raised his eyebrows. “She did?”

Chouji nodded. “Well, you know how those two are. It’s kind of like you and Asuma-sensei. Only, Kurenai-sensei is nicer to Hinata-chan than Asuma-sensei is to you.”

Shikamaru sighed. “Yeah, unfortunately.”

“But that’s because you don’t need to be treated nicely,” Asuma said. Shikamaru turned around to face his teacher. Asuma was smiling fondly at Shikamaru, but there was a glint in his eyes that suggested a challenge.

“Did you really have to put me with the one job that does practically everything, though?” Shikamaru asked.

Asuma shrugged, lighting a cigarette and putting it in his mouth. “You could do with some work, Shikamaru. The real world isn’t all fun and games, and you have to learn to deal with what you’re given.”

“I do deal with it,” Shikamaru complained. “But, seriously, how did I end up with this job? I thought I was signing up to oversee supplies.”

“I know you thought that,” Asuma said, chuckling as he blew out a puff of smoke. Kurenai cast a sharp look in their direction, and Asuma quickly put out his cigarette, suddenly remembering the school rules about no smoking on campus.

“Temari-san was right, you know,” Asuma said, after putting out his cigarette and disposing of it appropriately. “I had this all set up just for you. I even had Shiho-chan help me out.”

“Wait. What?” Shikamaru blinked in surprise.

“Sorry,” Shiho apologized sheepishly. “Asuma-sensei asked me for a favor, and I didn’t see the harm in it.”

“There isn’t any harm,” Asuma concurred firmly. “Don’t feel bad, Shiho. Shikamaru really could use some more work in his life.”

Shikamaru shrugged, trying not to look as dejected as he felt, though more for Shiho’s sake than Asuma’s.

Asuma clapped his students on the back. “Come on now, why don’t you go back to the rest of your members?”

Shikamaru reluctantly went back to where Ino, Sakura, and Temari were. They were joined by the mystery boy, as well as two others from Kurenai’s club.

Hasty, awkward introductions were made, before they all looked at the paper Kurenai had handed them earlier, with instructions on what to do.

“So, I think we should start by assigning a leader,” one of Kurenai’s students said.

Sakura nodded in agreement. Before she could suggest someone, Ino spoke up. As soon as she did, Shikamaru tensed, knowing she was going to volunteer him.

“That’s a great idea,” Ino said, smirking evilly in Shikamaru’s direction, further confirming his suspicions. “I suggest Temari-chan.”

“What?” Shikamaru and Temari exclaimed at the same time. Everyone looked at Shikamaru, and he felt heat rise to his face as he lowered his head and mumbled something under his breath.

“I just thought Ino was going to suggest I do it,” Shikamaru explained clumsily.

Temari rolled her eyes. “Not everything is about you, Nara.”

“Nara? Since when did you call him Nara?” Ino piped up.

Temari frowned at her, shrugging. “Does it matter? It’s his name, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, I suppose,” Ino said, remaining unconvinced. Shikamaru had a vague feeling he was going to have a lengthy conversation with Ino about Temari’s attitude towards him later. Not that it mattered, because _he did not like her_.

“But, anyways, yeah, I’m willing to do it, if no one else objects,” Temari said, looking around before resting her gaze on Shikamaru. “Do you have a problem with that, Nara?”

“Uh…no?” Shikamaru answered, shrugging helplessly under her scrutiny.

Temari nodded, back in her professional mode. “Then I guess that’s it for that. What’s next on the paper?”


	28. Groceries and Expensive Fish

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is late, but at least it's here now!  
> All characters belong to Kishimoto-san.

**Chapter 28: Groceries and Expensive Fish**

With the weekend came the end of August and the beginning of September. The weather had gotten colder, and Shikamaru wrapped his blankets tighter around himself, trying to get comfortable in the last few minutes before his alarm went off.

Just as he had finally gotten warm again and was about to drift off to sleep, the loud shrill of his alarm jolted him awake. Shikamaru sat up, surprised by the sudden noise, before staring hazily at the digital clock on his desk. It was one in the afternoon, and Shikamaru was satisfied to know he had slept for a good twelve hours, especially after last night.

The young teenager shook his head, remembering the events from the previous night. Naruto’s guardian Jiraiya, who had been gone for four months, had sent a letter saying he would be back on Tuesday, and, in a flurry of excitement, Naruto had decided to host an impromptu party at his place. Shikamaru, being the dedicated friend that he was, couldn’t turn down Naruto’s invitation. It was also a bonus for him to be out of the house and away from his troublesome mother.

“Nara Shikamaru, I hope you’re up by now!” A stern voice demanded, and Shikamaru groaned, flopping out of bed.

“I am!” Shikamaru yelled back, knowing his mother would storm up into his room if she didn’t get a response.

There was no reply, and Shikamaru took that as a sign that he was off the hook. Of course, his mother hadn’t been too pleased that he had been at Naruto’s up to one a.m. in the morning, but Shikamaru knew that his mother had a soft spot for Naruto and would allow her son to stay up late into the night if it meant keeping the orphan company.

Now that he was out of bed, Shikamaru was feeling the chill again, and he forced himself to get up and rummage around for warmer clothes, tugging on a green sweater and a pair of gray sweats, before clumsily tying his hair up into its spiky ponytail.

Shikamaru stumbled out of his room to get ready for the day. As much as he hated to admit it, he was hungry. The smell of cooked food wafted up and Shikamaru questioned if his mother did it on purpose to get him out of bed.

Shikaku was sitting at the table, looking over a handful of papers when Shikamaru came down. He glanced up as his son entered, looking as sleepy as ever.

“Didn’t get much sleep last night?” Shikaku asked, and Shikamaru shrugged, reaching for the only unused pair of chopsticks on the table.

“You know how Naruto is,” Yoshino said. “He’s a little on the wild end.”

“That boy isn’t the problem,” Shikaku mused. “It’s Jiraiya-san we should be more careful about. I’m afraid his bad habits might be rubbing off on the poor boy.”

Shikamaru said nothing, having never met the legendary author himself.

“He’s not _that_ bad,” a new voice said, and Shikamaru lazily turned around to greet the newcomer, whose voice he could recognize even while half-asleep.

It was Inoichi, along with Chouza and his son. Chouji greeted Shikamaru with a smile, and Shikamaru returned the expression.

“But his perverted ways are a cause for concern,” Chouza was arguing as the trio slipped into the dining room.

“Hey, those books are for adults anyways,” Inoichi shrugged.

Shikaku narrowed his eyes at his friend. “Why do you make it sound like you’ve read his books before?”

“What are you saying?” Inoichi spluttered. “I would never read such a thing!”

“Not publicly, at least,” Shikaku said knowingly.

Yoshino cast him a sharp look. “Is there something we need to know about your reading habits, Shikaku?”

Shikaku swallowed. “No, not at all, my dear.”

Yoshino continued to glare at him, and Shikamaru decided to rescue his father from his predicament.

“You guys are working at our place today?” Shikamaru interjected, and to his relief, the adults focused their attention on him.

Chouza nodded. “Your father was onto something last night, and he wanted us to come and look it over. There’s no point in working at the office when we can just work here.”

Shikamaru nodded, respectfully scooting his chair aside so the two men would have more room at the table.

“Where’s Ino?” Shikamaru asked Chouji as the other boy sat down on Shikamaru’s other side.

“She’s hanging out with Sakura-chan and Hinata-chan.”

“Well, that’s a relief,” Shikamaru mumbled, stuffing more food into his mouth. “She’s always a pain to have around.”

Chouji smiled softly. “You wouldn’t trade her for anyone else, though.”

“No, I wouldn’t,” Shikamaru agreed. He and Chouji spent another half hour eating in comfortable silence, watching as the minute-hand on the clock ticked by, before both got up to play some video games.

It was around four in the afternoon when Yoshino poked her head into Shikamaru’s room.

“Chouji, your mother is downstairs, just so you know. And, if you boys have nothing better to do, would you mind going down to the store and picking up some food? We don't think there’s enough meat for tomorrow night.”

Chouji nodded eagerly at the idea of food, and Shikamaru stood up. “Yeah, sure.”

The two boys pulled on their jackets and headed out into the frigid weather, with Shikamaru carelessly stuffing the money his mother had given him, as well as the house keys, into his jacket pocket.

“Whose turn is it again?” Shikamaru asked as they walked. “Your turn?”

“Yup.” Chouji’s face turned dreamy as he continued. “My mom wants to try out this new sauce on the barbecue tomorrow. She’s only let my dad taste a sample, and he says it’s really good.”

Shikamaru chuckled. “Well, you won’t know until tomorrow. What else does she have planned?”

“That’s a secret,” Chouji said mysteriously.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. “So, you don’t know.”

“No, not really,” Chouji admitted sheepishly.

The two boys arrived at the store, and they immediately headed to the meat section. Shikamaru grabbed a shopping cart while Chouji examined the meat.

“So, when she said meat, did she mean literally meat, or does she want a specific type?” Shikamaru grumbled, leaning slightly on the cart.

Chouji didn’t seem as concerned as his partner; he was already grabbing two packs of meat and placing them on the cart before going back to grab more.

“Beef,” Chouji said. “And chicken.”

Shikamaru shrugged, glad that at least one of them knew what they were doing. Chouji seemed to be occupied for the moment, so Shikamaru let his mind and gaze wander absentmindedly.

To his left, there were a pair of junior high students arguing over what type of candy was better, and a mother scolding her son for knocking over some boxes. To the right, there was an elderly couple waiting patiently for the fishmonger to finish cleaning their fish, and right next to them were a father and daughter pair who were also buying fish. A store worker dumped some fresh crabs into the live crab crate, and a couple clams squirted water as a young child poked at them with the ladle.

“This is a rip-off! You’re telling me this is the actual price? I could probably buy salmon for cheaper!”

Shikamaru started at the sudden shout, nearly sliding off his cart as it slid a few inches away from him. His alert eyes swept the area, and spotted the father and daughter by the fish. The daughter was arguing in a rather embarrassingly loud tone with one of the fishmongers and Shikamaru shook his head at the loud noise, wondering what type of person would cause such a scene in a market of all places.

Chouji spotted him looking in that direction. “Did you want mackerel or something?”

Shikamaru barely heard the words; his attention was fixed back on the father-daughter pair again. This time, he recognized them, and with horror, he realized they weren’t a father and his daughter; no, they were the oldest child of the Kazekage and her escort. No wonder her voice had seemed so hauntingly familiar to him.

“Are you done?” Shikamaru asked abruptly, turning his back on Temari before she could spot him.

“What?” Chouji asked, perplexed by Shikamaru’s sudden reaction.

“Meat,” Shikamaru expanded upon his previous question. “Are you done buying them?”

Chouji nodded haltingly. “Uh, yeah. Why?”

Shikamaru said nothing, quickly pushing the cart in the opposite direction. Chouji followed, unsure of the reason they were fleeing but trusting Shikamaru anyways.

“Do we need anything else?” Shikamaru asked as he continued pushing the cart, barely paying attention to where he was going.

Chouji opened his mouth to answer, but before he got the chance to, he was stopped by the sight of two boys standing in front of them.

“Shikamaru!” Chouji warned, and it was only then Shikamaru noticed the two in front of him, and tried to stop his cart in time, to no avail.

Fortunately, the two boys were paying attention, and the taller one put out a hand, calmly stopping the cart.

“Well, if it isn’t Nara.”

“Oh, uh, hey, fancy seeing you guys here,” Shikamaru said, his eyes darting back and forth nervously between the younger children of the Kazekage.

“Please pay attention to where you are going,” Gaara advised.

Shikamaru nodded. “Right. Sorry. I was in a hurry.”

“Why? You late for something?” Kankuro asked. “Is it your turn to cook dinner or what?”

“I don’t cook,” Shikamaru muttered.

“Doesn’t seem that way,” Kankuro commented.

“It’s meat, Kankuro,” Gaara said. “They can just grill it. It doesn’t require a lot of cooking skills.”

Kankuro shrugged. “I would probably burn it, though, even if it were just grilling meat.”

“Yeah, we all know what a disaster you are in the kitchen.”

Shikamaru groaned internally. She had found him in the end.

“So, Nara, where do you need to be that you left in such a hurry without even saying hi?” Temari asked.

Shikamaru looked at anything but her, mumbling something under his breath.

“Are you calling me troublesome again?” Temari demanded, and Shikamaru flinched a little, involuntarily taking a step backwards.

“No,” Shikamaru denied.  He cleared his throat. “Anyways, uh, it was nice seeing you, but I have to go.”

“Why?” Chouji interrupted, not catching on to Shikamaru’s mood. “It’s not like we have anywhere to be after this. And we still have to pick up some other things.”

“Oh. Right.”

Temari raised an eyebrow at him but didn’t call him out for his lie. Instead she turned to her siblings.

“Where’s Baki-sensei?” Kankuro asked.

“Buying the fish,” Temari growled, remembering the reason she had left.

“Then why are you here?” Gaara questioned. “Weren’t you buying it?”

“Yes,” Temari said, letting out a huff. She crossed her arms, unmistakably agitated. “But the guy was clearly ripping me off. It was just way too much for one measly fish, and I told him as much! Besides, it’s not like this is Suna, where we’re far away from all ports so seafood would be expensive. We’re in _Konoha_ , for fuck’s sake! They eat seafood here all the time!”

“He could probably tell you’re a foreigner,” Shikamaru spoke up without thinking. Temari cast him an icy glare.

“Oh, really, now?” Temari said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Shikamaru backed away again. “I’m just saying.”

Temari let out another huff. “Maybe I should just have you buy it for me.”

“What? No!” Shikamaru declined immediately.

“Why? Is it too troublesome for you?” Temari snapped. “How can you even call yourself a man if you won’t even escort a lady around?”

“You don’t qualify much as a lady,” Shikamaru griped.

“ _What_ did you just say?” Temari challenged, and Kankuro let out a barely concealed snicker.

Shikamaru shrugged helplessly, having no choice but to answer lest Temari got even angrier by his lack of response.

“I mean, ladies are…refined.”

“And I’m not?” There was something in Temari’s expression that directed Shikamaru to silence himself, but the prideful part of him refused to back down.

“Not really, no,” Shikamaru upheld.

The glare Temari gave him earlier paled in comparison to the one she was shooting his way now. Shikamaru turned to his best friend to plead for help, but the other boy was feigning interest in a bottle of soy sauce.

“Oh, really?” Temari said, narrowing her teal eyes at him. “And what would you know about refined ladies, you sexist prick?”

“Okay, calm down now, Temari,” Kankuro interfered. “He does make a good point—I mean, a point. That’s not necessarily good. I mean, no, it’s not a good point. But it is a point, even if it’s not good.”

Temari stared at him in disbelief. “Are you siding with _him_?”

“Uh,” Kankuro stammered. “No.”

“Temari, you need to calm down,” Gaara said quietly; his hand wavered in the air as if he had wanted to touch his sister reassuringly but then thought against it. “You’re still upset over the fish, and I think it’s unfair for you to take it out on Shikamaru-kun and Kankuro.”

“What, you, too?” Temari lashed out, but at the last moment, she seemed to remember where she was, and, more specifically, _who_ she was talking to. She bit her lip, as if to stop herself from blurting anything else, before turning on her heel and stalking away.

“Well. That was awkward,” Kankuro observed.

Both Shikamaru and Chouji said nothing, uncertain what the two brothers were going to do next.

Gaara spoke. “You’ll have to forgive my sister. She often lets her temper get the better of her.”

“Yeah, that and, for some reason, she seems to be oddly irked lately,” Kankuro added.

Chouji and Shikamaru exchanged glances, and Chouji, being the politer of the two, took the initiative.

“It’s alright,” Chouji said. “If you want, we can show you around. Shikamaru here might be useless when it comes to food, but there’s no one who knows it better than I.”

“I appreciate the offer, but aren’t you busy?” Gaara asked, remembering Shikamaru’s harried state earlier.

Chouji looked to Shikamaru, silently asking him to carry on the conversation, which he reluctantly did so.

“I don’t like wasting time,” Shikamaru defended himself. “There’s no point dawdling around inside a grocery store.”

Kankuro smirked. “Says the laziest person out here.”

Shikamaru shrugged, amending his explanation. “I’m not fond of being in public spaces. I’d rather waste time at home than here.”

“Then we won’t bother you any longer,” said Gaara, nodding his head respectfully.

“Are you sure?” Chouji asked. “We don’t mind staying here with you guys.”

“It is fine,” Gaara confirmed. “We will manage on our own, like we always have.”

“Okay,” Chouji said, placing his hands back on the shopping cart. “Come on, Shikamaru, we still have other stuff to get, and I don’t think your mom will be pleased if we take too long without good reason.”

“We should be going, too,” Gaara said. “We have to find Temari.”

“Yeah, and hope she hasn’t killed someone yet,” Kankuro said.

Gaara nodded his head in farewell. “We will be making our leave now. I will see you two tomorrow.”

He had barely taken a few steps when he confronted the two Konohagakure students again.

“Are you busy tomorrow, Shikamaru-kun?”


	29. Uh, No, There's Nothing Going On

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I hope you guys had a Happy Thanksgiving yesterday, at least to those who celebrated it. This year, I'm pleased to say I'm thankful for all you readers out there who have kept up with my stories all this time, because, let's be honest, Konoha High, or the One Year of Hell wouldn't exist without you guys! So, once again, thank you for reading!  
> Also, this will be the last update until after December 16 since I should probably focus on my schoolwork.  
> All characters belong to Kishimoto-san.

**Chapter 29: Uh, No, There's Nothing Going On**

As it turned out, no, Shikamaru hadn’t been busy on Monday, but that had all changed when Gaara politely requested they start on their project for Kurenai’s class.

Obviously, Shikamaru couldn’t refuse, and so Monday after school, he found himself seated opposite of the youngest son of the Kazekage. They were in Asuma’s room, since it was always available to students until five or six p.m. depending on the day of the week, and both students had their laptops out, quietly doing research.

Shikamaru wouldn’t have minded it all that much, except the two freshmen weren’t alone in the room. Nearby—a bit too near, in Shikamaru’s opinion—were Gaara’s older siblings, who were not so quietly playing a game of shogi. It hadn’t taken Shikamaru long to figure out that Temari was still mad at him, and she had pointedly ignored him the entire day, which was fine by him.

“Okay, look, this piece was obviously not here before,” Kankuro protested as he stared at the board in front of him.

“I didn’t move any of the pieces illegally, if that’s what you’re insinuating, Kankuro,” Temari retorted.

Kankuro scowled darkly. “Okay, fine. I guess I’ll move this piece.”

“I wouldn’t do that,” Temari warned. “See this piece here?”

Kankuro frowned, trying to remember how the piece Temari was referring to moved. “Uh, okay, then I guess not.”

There was the clack of wood as Kankuro moved a piece. Shikamaru shook his head slightly, reminding himself to stay on task. He just wanted to get this over with and go home already.

Shikamaru felt a hand rest on his shoulder, and he looked away from his screen to see Chouji standing behind him.

“Please tell me you’re here to kill me,” Shikamaru whispered frantically.

Chouji smiled. “No, sorry. I was wondering if you wanted some chips.”

Shikamaru accepted a bag. “Chips sound great right now, actually.”

“I know,” Chouji replied, sitting down at the desk next to Shikamaru’s. “That’s why I came over.”

“How are the girls?” Shikamaru asked, his eyes glued back to his laptop screen again. “They’ve been quiet for a while now.”

Chouji looked to the corner, where Hinata, Ino, and Sakura were gathered around a board game. “They’re on their phones.”

“Weren’t they playing Stratego?” Shikamaru asked, though he wasn’t too surprised at the result.

“They got bored,” Chouji explained. “Or, Ino did, and you know how she is.”

Shikamaru nodded. “What about you? How are you holding up?”

“I’m fine,” Chouji answered. “As long as I have food, I couldn’t ask for anything else in the world.”

“You should go home early,” Shikamaru said. “It’s a Monday, remember?”

“Not without you,” Chouji replied stubbornly, and Shikamaru smiled.

“Your mom could probably use the help,” Shikamaru continued reasonably. “And, besides, Ino is probably really bored but somehow polite enough not to leave right away.”

Chouji shrugged. “But I can’t just leave you to walk home by yourself.”

Shikamaru waved a hand lazily. “I won’t get kidnapped.”

“That’s what they all say.”

It was Shikamaru’s turn to shrug. “I guess.”

The two friends were silent again as Shikamaru resumed his research, only speaking up to ask Gaara a question or two when the need arose.

“So, what kind of person is Shimura Danzo?”

Shikamaru glanced up, noted that it was Temari standing to his right, and went back to staring at his screen. Temari had been avoiding him the entire day today, and Shikamaru didn’t want to put in the energy to figure out why she was suddenly talking to him out of the blue.

“I know you heard me,” Temari growled, hands on her hips.

Shikamaru slowly looked up again, making sure to put on a neutral expression. From his peripheral, Shikamaru saw that Chouji had went back to the girls, so there was no backup available. “He’s the Chancellor of Konoha University.”

Temari made a face. “Yeah, I know _that_.”

“I heard he’s a pretty good fighter,” Kankuro piped up. The shogi board had mysteriously disappeared from the desk the two Sunagakure siblings had been using, and Shikamaru could only assume they were done with their game and had now come to bother him.

“I guess,” Shikamaru said indifferently.

“You guess?” Temari asked, rolling her eyes. “Aren’t you researching him right now?”

“No,” Shikamaru said. “Gaara-san is doing that. I’m researching the origins of the Shimura clan.”

“Woah, did you just say Gaara’s name?” Kankuro gasped.

Shikamaru frowned. “And, so what if I did?”

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say his name,” Kankuro remarked.

“And I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say _my_ name,” Shikamaru fired back.

Kankuro grinned at him. “Fair enough.”

Shikamaru sighed. “Look, I’m trying to do my project here. I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t bother me.”

“It looks like you’ve got a good chunk done already, though,” Kankuro observed.

Shikamaru resisted another heavy sigh. “Yes, but that doesn’t mean I’m done.”

“Okay, okay,” Kankuro said. “I’ll leave you to your boring work.”

Kankuro walked off to sit somewhere else, muttering something about rude youngsters under his breath.

Shikamaru noticed how Temari still hadn’t moved from her spot, nor did she say anything. She merely leaned onto the desk behind her, watching Shikamaru quietly.

After a few more minutes, when Shikamaru could no longer bear the thought of her creepily judging him from the sidelines, Shikamaru turned to face her.

“Look, are you just going to keep staring at me? You’ll burn a hole through my back if—”

Shikamaru stopped talking as it became evident Temari was not listening to him. She was leaning against the desk, her arms crossed across her chest. Her head was tilted down, her shoulders rising and falling in a slow rhythm, and after another moment, Shikamaru realized she had fallen asleep in that position.

Smirking a little to himself, Shikamaru turned back to his work. He had to admit he rather liked her like this. It was one of the rare moments she didn’t look like she was going to murder him, and she was silent, too. No insults or sarcastic comments. Just the peaceful silence between them.

Without thinking, Shikamaru looked at Temari again. Her bangs had fallen so they now covered her face, hiding the harsh lines that were usually present on her face. Shikamaru couldn’t help but think how _friendlier_ she looked when she was asleep, though he wondered how uncomfortable she must be, sleeping in a position like that. As Shikamaru’s eyes made their way down, he noticed how Temari had slid down a little, and her shirt had gotten caught on the edge of the desk, exposing a small area of light skin. Briefly, Shikamaru questioned how she remained that light. Didn’t she live in the desert, where the sun was always out?

“Are you checking out my sister?” A voice accused, breaking Shikamaru out of his thoughts. He snapped his head back to face his laptop, as well as his accuser.

“Am I—what?” Involuntarily, Shikamaru turned red. “No! Why would I do that?”

From across the desk, Gaara gave him a long, unreadable stare and Shikamaru forced his face to return to normal, though he could still feel the remaining heat.

“You were staring at her,” Gaara stated. “For a long time.”

“I wasn’t,” Shikamaru denied. He cleared his throat, pretending to be busy researching, but he could feel Gaara’s eyes remain on him, like a hawk on its prey.

Fortunately, he was saved by Chouji walking over.

“Hey, are you guys almost done?” said Chouji, who was holding a hand to his phone as if he had been talking to someone but had paused the conversation to talk to Shikamaru. “My mom just called and she’s asking.”

Shikamaru glanced at Gaara, who said nothing.

“Not really, I don’t think,” Shikamaru said, hoping Chouji would not notice anything unusual.

Chouji nodded and put the phone back to his ear, relaying the message to his mother. Another few minutes went by before Chouji spoke again.

“Do you know when you’ll be done?” Chouji asked, directing the question at Gaara more than Shikamaru.

“I would like to finish most of these questions today,” Gaara answered. “It will be hard for us to meet up on any other day, especially since I will be suspended tomorrow, and Wednesday.”

Chouji nodded again, speaking into his phone. He looked surprised at something his mother said, and slowly he turned his attention back to Gaara.

“Um,” Chouji started, unsure of how to pass on the message his mother had given him. “My mom says, if you want, do you want to continue working on the project at our place?”

“Your place?” Gaara inquired.

“Well, more like Shikamaru’s place,” Chouji amended. “His mom is with my mom right now, and they both came to an agreement.”

“Wait, an agreement about what?” Shikamaru asked, his suspicions growing by the second.

Chouji shifted uncomfortably in his spot, sending his best friend an apologetic look.

“Our parents are inviting you to come over and have dinner with us,” Chouji told Gaara. “And, before you ask, yes, that includes your siblings, too. And, after dinner, you can just continue working on your project.”

Gaara frowned. “I do not wish to bother you.”

“It’s no bother,” Chouji said. “They insisted. Our parents would like to meet you, too. I mean, if it’s alright with you, that is. They were really interested in talking to you.”

Gaara still looked uncertain, and Shikamaru hoped he would turn down the offer. The last thing he wanted was to eat with the three Sunagakure siblings.

To Shikamaru’s relief, Gaara gave his head a subtle shake. “Still, it would be rude to suddenly come on such short notice. In addition, I think Baki-sensei has already prepared dinner for us, and it would not do to waste his efforts.”

Chouji nodded, letting out a small breath that only Shikamaru caught. “I’ll tell them that.”

Gaara nodded politely. “Perhaps another time.”

 

By the time the pair finished their work, Sakura and Hinata had already gone home. Asuma was wrapping up the last of his paperwork, smiling to himself as he read a text on his phone.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at him. “Is there something amusing, Asuma-sensei?”

Asuma quickly lowered his phone. “Hm? No. Why do you ask?”

Shikamaru shrugged. “You were smiling to yourself like there was something funny.”

“Oh,” Asuma said, packing the rest of his things. “You ready to go? Because I have to leave, and you guys can’t be in here without me.”

“We know,” Shikamaru said, his things already packed and ready to go.

“Any of you guys need a ride?” Asuma offered as they headed out of the classroom. The three siblings shook their hands.

“We’re getting picked up,” Kankuro said. “Baki-sensei’s already here.”

Temari grumbled something under her breath, looking tired. Kankuro had woken her up a few minutes ago, and she was moving stiffly, as if she was sore (which Shikamaru figured, she was). Shikamaru wondered just exactly how much sleep she had last night.

“What about you three?” Asuma asked.

“A ride would be nice,” Shikamaru admitted, and Ino and Chouji chorused their concurrence.

“A ride it is,” Asuma agreed. He had already known the three Ino-Shika-Cho children would accept his offer even before he asked.

They made their way to the parking lot, and the three siblings followed them. As they neared the parking lot, Shikamaru felt a hand on his shoulder and looked to see Gaara.

Getting the hint, Shikamaru slowed so that he and Gaara were now behind everyone else and out of their hearing ranges.

“Did you want to talk about the project?” Shikamaru asked, confused and a little nervous at what the redhead wanted.

“Not the project,” Gaara mumbled. He paused, as if gathering his thoughts. His light green eyes shifted uncertainly.

“What you do is none of my business,” Gaara finally said slowly, his voice quiet. However, his eyes narrowed threateningly. “But if you ever hurt my sister…”

“Look, I’m not interested in her,” Shikamaru sighed, wishing he could just clear up the misunderstanding. He didn’t need Gaara watching him like he was some criminal. “So, you don’t have to worry about that.”

Gaara nodded, looking unconvinced. “You’re not a bad choice though. I could have someone worse courting my sister.”

Shikamaru flushed. “I’m not—I don’t—why would I—ugh!”

Gaara waited patiently for the other boy to form coherent words.

“I’m not ‘courting’ her or anything!” Shikamaru hissed. “I don’t even like her!”

“Okay,” Gaara said simply. He walked off, leaving behind a flustered Shikamaru.

The Sunagakure children got into a car, leaving Shikamaru alone with his teacher and two friends.

“What was that about?” Chouji asked as Ino cast Shikamaru a sly look. Asuma was busy looking for his keys and didn’t seem to be paying their conversation any heed.

“Did you hear that, Ino?” Shikamaru demanded.

“No,” Ino said. “But it’s not that hard to guess. You’re only this flustered by a couple things, and one of them happens to be—”

“Don’t say it,” Shikamaru growled, but Ino ignored him.

“—Temari-chan. And, since it was her brother talking to you just now, _in private_ , I’m guess he was warning you off her,” Ino finished. “Also, I saw the exchange between the two of you earlier. Because, admit it, Shikamaru, you were _totally_ checking her out.”

“I was not!” Shikamaru protested indignantly.

“Oh, please,” Ino said. “You never look at girls. Ever.”

“ _Ino_ ,” Shikamaru groaned. “Can you not? We’ve talked about this.”

“Yeah, but you never seem to accept it,” Ino pouted.

Shikamaru sighed, shuffling into Asuma’s car as soon as the doors were unlocked.

Chouji dutifully sat next to Shikamaru before Ino could make a move, shielding the other boy somewhat from Ino’s prying questions.

“Thanks, Chouji,” Shikamaru said, leaning his head back against the seat and closing his eyes.

“Oh, come on, Shikamaru,” Ino said, trying to get past Chouji, who was refusing to budge.

“He’s sleeping,” Chouji said, giving Ino a look.

Ino sighed in defeat. “Fine. I’ll let it slide this time, but don’t you dare think this conversation is over!”

From the front, Asuma glanced at them curiously.


End file.
